Darkness
by Witch of Swords
Summary: The Dark Tournament is being hosted once again. This year, however, the rules say Genkai must not enter, so Yusuke's gang must find a new member. In enters Kagome, a miko with demonic powers and a tragic past. WARNING: violence and strong language
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, YuYu Hakusho (As much as I'd love to) or any of the anime/manga characters.

Invitation

Yusuke popped the mysterious tape into the VCR, a sense of foreboding filling him.

As soon as it started playing, the entire group discovered that his feeling wasn't unwarranted.

"Hello, Spirit Detectives," said a deep voice from the grainy screen they were watching. "I am cordially inviting you to this year's Dark Tournament."

Everyone gaped at the tape in shock, and it was as though the person on the tape knew about it.

"I know, I know. You destroyed the entire area, right? Well, it was rebuilt, and your team simply _must _attend. As the returning champions. Oh, and as a little added incentive, there's also a girl here that would _really_ appreciate the rescue," he said before pulling someone's wrist.

To everyone's surprise, Keiko fell onto the screen, her eyes wide and her mouth gagged. To further their horror, the man raised her hand so the wedding ring Yusuke had given her gleamed in the light.

"The tournament is in four days. We'll keep her safe and cozy until then. But, if you don't show, then we'll just have to… _enjoy _her," he said, roughly grabbing one of her breasts for emphasis.

Yusuke found himself growling. He was going to kill this bastard!

"Oh, one more thing! Genkai is forbidden from helping you this year, so find someone else. And no masks or anything like that, or we'll be sure to make our displeasure known."

The video ended and everyone in the room stared at the screen in horror, Hiei and Botan included.

"Botan, open a portal to Genkai's," Yusuke said, his fury evident.

A black hole opened in front of him and he stormed in on the complex, surprising Yukina with his rush.

"Hello, Yusuke," Genkai said as he threw the door open.

"We were just-"

Before he finished, Genkai lifted a tape and glared at her own TV.

"I know. I was officially un-invited to the party. You want someone strong, right?"

Yusuke nodded.

"I'm glad we think alike at times like this, granny. So, who ya' got?"

"Considering most of the people like me and you are dead, there are very few options, Yusuke."

"What!?"

Genkai groaned at his over-the-top volume and glared at him.

"Relax, dimwit. I said there are few, not _none_."

"So you have someone in mind?" he asked hopefully.

"I do… But you may not like it."

"Why's that?" he asked, glaring at her.

"She's not exactly someone you'll just be able to get on your team."

"She? What? Another old bat like you?"

"No, a schoolgirl," Genkai bit out.

Yusuke would've laughed had he not seen the deadly seriousness in her eyes.

"What!? A _schoolgirl_!? What the hell, Genkai!? What's she gonna do, nit me a sweater!?"

Genkai smiled coldly as the others entered.

"No, dimwit. She's stronger than you and I combined. And, as I'm not allowed to enter, she's your next best shot. She happens to be a miko, as well."

Kurama and Hiei's eyes both widened in surprise while Yusuke cleared his throat.

"She's really that strong?"

"Yes. Now leave my temple, dimwit," the old woman sighed as another portal opened. Botan came afterwards, and she pointed toward it.

"There's been a demon attack, Yusuke. They're breaking through the barrier! You can find this mysterious girl later," she said before they all exited. What they found was as close to a battle field as the demons had seen since the pre-tournament Makai.

"Give us the jewel, bitch," a demon said in a metallic voice. Suddenly, they were aware of the girl standing within a circle of about fifteen powerful demons.

"Hey, run!" Kuwabara yelled like a moron. To their surprise, the demons didn't even glance their way, focused intently on the girl between them.

"Weak, pathetic little forest scavengers," the girl bit out. "I'll give you _one_ more chance to run with your lives."

All of the demons simply smirked and she tensed.

"Fine."

From her hand came a massive spray of flames, which devoured four of the demons to her side immediately. Before the others got over the shock, she spun and threw a massive boomerang, which cut through another four. As she caught it, she spun and threw two daggers. Just as they dug into their targets' flesh, flames exploded outward and the demons turned to ash.

"That's ten of you. Any last thoughts?" the girl asked in a cold voice.

When they released their power and revealed, rather unintelligently, that they were stronger than the others combined, Yusuke's group tensed. Oddly enough, the woman actually _relaxed_.

"Thank god. I thought you were all weaklings!"

Energy wrapped around her hands and the group watched in shock as she practically disappeared. When she stopped moving, three more demons were shredded apart by the gleaming red claws of the woman.

She was almost as fast as Hiei!

"Die, bitch!"

Several dozen poisonous barbs launched through the air and just as Yusuke was about to use his shotgun technique, she swung her arm. And then, for every barb, there were three arrows of energy being launched, effectively killing the demon that had used them.

The other demon wasn't visible until it was too late. The woman froze as sharp fangs buried deep into her shoulder, and she snarled.

"Ha! Take that, bitch! Now, where's the jewel? Tell me and I might let you g-"

She was cut off as the woman spun, her hand wrapping around the demon's throat.

"Stupid demon. I don't get poisoned," she spat as the demon's head began to smoke. And then, blue energy exploded and the demon turned to ash with one final, blood curdling scream.

She turned to the group and they were all surprised to find that she looked as old as Hiei, if not a little younger.

"Who's next?"

"Huh?" Yusuke asked dumbly.

"Oh man! Urameshi, this girl's energy is off the charts! This could be seriously bad," Kuwabara said as he took in the woman's multi-colored aura. Almost none of the colors were good.

"C'mon! Which one of you's stupid enough to attack me next?" she barked, her youki flaring with such intensity that the surrounding forest actually seemed to be lit on fire.

"Well, if you're offering-" Hiei said, his hand gripping his blade.

"Cool it, Hiei," Yusuke said as he took in the girl's appearance. "What are you doing out of Makai, what kind of demon are you, and why'd you just kill all of them?" he asked, watching as the girl grew surprised.

"Makai? What's that?"

"Nice try, demon! Where's the portal?" Yusuke barked.

To his surprise, she glared at him as if he were an annoyance, and then her eyes closed.

"I don't know what you're talking about, but is this portal you're talking about where all these demons keep coming from?"

She could feel another thirty demons approaching, and that was bad. For the past hour, she'd been killing demons, and they were slowly driving her towards her house, where her son and daughter were.

"Give us the jewel!" a loud voice echoed and the woman sighed.

"Look, if you're not going to attack me then just go away," she spat at the group before letting fire engulf her body. "I'm getting annoyed."

Out of the forest came the small army, and the girl apparently decided she'd had enough exercise. Her hand went to one of the swords at her sides and as she pulled it out, a bright flash of light formed and it grew. What had been the size of a katana was now as large as a small tree trunk.

Everyone tensed as they felt youki build around it, and suddenly, she swung down.

"Wind Scar!" she yelled as it met with the ground. An earth-shattering amount of power was released and the forest in front of her, along with the demons and anything on the other side of the portal, was completely decimated.

Satisfied that she didn't feel any more energy where the demons had been forming, she sheathed the blade and turned.

"Can I help you?" she asked angrily at the suddenly cautious group.

She was _definitely _an S-Class demon. That was not good, considering how close to a local shrine they were. They would have to act quickly or the demon would sense the holy power nearby.

"Spirit Gun!" Yusuke yelled suddenly, blasting a massive amount of ki from his outstretched finger. He was very surprised when she merely reached out and it vanished.

"Wha-!?"

"Nice trick. Reiki. So that means you're not a demon," she said, slightly confused. "Why are you here?"

"To keep beings such as yourself away from civilians, I'm afraid," Kurama said as he drew a rose. She watched as it grew into a long, spiked whip.

"I'm bored," she sighed. "See ya," she said with a wink. And then, she was gone and they were close behind. The only one fast enough to catch her was Hiei, and by this time they'd already ascended the stairs to the shrine.

This was _not_ good! They were at the shrine, and that meant near the holy people inside.

She quickly spun and glared at Hiei, who grabbed his hilt threateningly.

"Why'd you follow me?"

"We won't let you spill human blood, onna," Hiei said angrily, letting his youki flare slightly.

Now she was thoroughly confused.

"What? I'm not going to-"

"Momma?" a soft feminine voice asked, making everyone but Hiei and the woman jump. She quickly turned her back to Hiei to face the little girl that had exited the shrine.

"Go inside, sweetie," she said, her voice completely different from before. She began to gently pat the girl's head when she found herself in a painful predicament. While a sharp edge was pressed to her throat, a whip had dug into her skin and held her hands bound to her side.

"Hey! Let momma go!" another new voice yelled. They turned their attention to the small kitsune pup glaring at them as though he were a threatening presence.

"It's alright," she said sweetly. "Shippo, take Rin and go inside with uncle Souta, okay?"

The kit hesitantly nodded before pulling the complaining little girl inside. The second they were out of sight, the woman let her anger back into her voice.

"Get the hell away from this shrine, or I'll kill you, demons."

Hiei pressed his sword harder against her when suddenly, she dropped. As her bonds slackened, she grabbed the whip and before he could react, had it wrapped around Hiei's throat as she knocked his sword away.

"Leave, now," she growled. Everyone watched as her bright blue eyes turned a hardened gold and they felt her youki rising.

"We're takin' you back to Makai, bitch!" Yusuke yelled, preparing to release his own youki.

A new presence appeared and everyone looked toward Genkai, who was glaring at them all. Then, her eyes fell on the woman and she smirked.

"Ah, Kagome. Nice to see you again."

The woman, apparently named 'Kagome' released Hiei from his dangerous chokehold and smiled warmly.

"Genkai! It's been _ages_!"

Genkai turned a cocky grin toward Yusuke, who reined his power back in.

"I told you, didn't I? She can kick your ass with no problem, dimwit."

What she said slowly sunk in and his eyes widened.

"Wait! What the hell!? _She's _the schoolgirl you were talking about!? What the hell, granny!? I thought you said she was a miko!"

"I am," Kagome spit, venom in her voice.

"Ha! You just killed a bunch of them, using youki! I highly doubt you're a miko, bitch!" Yusuke yelled.

Genkai sighed and smiled warmly at Kagome.

"Perhaps a demonstration is in order?"

"I don't know them," she pouted as she felt her youki retracting back into her body.

"But I do. You don't want me to look like a liar, do you?" the elderly psychic asked, smirking.

"Fine," Kagome sighed as she closed her eyes. The hair on the backs of their necks stood on end as power crackled around her. And then, she opened her eyes and they were a brilliant silver. She pointed at the forest she'd just left and a burst of blue energy exploded forth.

A demon that had somehow survived screamed in pure agony as the purification hit it, and she smirked.

"So, why are you here, Genkai?" she asked, ignoring the stares of shock at the woman's random mood swings and obvious danger.

"Well, first, I'll make introductions. Dimwit, this is Kagome Higurashi," she said, sweeping her hand. "And this, Kagome, is Dimwit," she said, pointing at a grumbling Yusuke.

"Does 'dimwit' have an actual name?" the miko asked curiously.

"It's Yusuke Urameshi!" he barked angrily.

"Right, well, now that that's out of the way, let's get down to business. The dimwit and his group need your help, Kagome."

"What? With self-defense?" she asked, smirking at how easily she'd trapped the fire apparition.

"Not quite," Genkai said with a smirk. "They're entering a fighting tournament. They need five people, but only have four."

"Why don't you go with them?" Kagome asked curiously.

"I'm not allowed, as per the rules set by the people forcing them to go in the first place," Genkai sighed. "And, you're the strongest person I knew, so here we are."

"Look, I'm really sorry, but I can't do it," Kagome sighed. "I have four children to look after," she said, her eyes filling with sadness.

Genkai pulled out two tapes and handed them to the miko.

"Watch these."

The group followed her as she walked inside, past the children, and played the videos. Genkai's was first, and it was identical to the Spirit Detectives', except she was threatened _against _going with Keiko's life. Speaking of which…

"Is that Keiko?" Kagome asked suddenly. They all stared down at her and she turned slowly. "What?"

"You know Keiko?"

"We were friends when she still went to my school," Kagome said simply. "She was a really nice person… So why's this guy doing this, exactly?" she bit out, her fury starting to show. Hurting innocent people was an unforgivable sin to her. And now, she had _plenty _of motivation.

"I'll go," she said, sitting up.

Their eyes widened at the sudden change of heart.

"What the hell!?"

Kagome pulled the tape out of the VCR and turned to them.

"Do either of you need these?" she asked suddenly. When the team and Genkai all shook their heads, they watched in awe as fire burst out and completely engulfed them.

"I hate people like that. So, I'm going to go help Keiko, even if she doesn't remember my name."

"We leave in two days," Yusuke said before turning and leaving.

"Genkai, will you-"

"As long as the kit isn't too energetic, it should be fine," the psychic said with a smile.

"Thank you," Kagome sighed…

A/N:

Well, there's the prologue to my new fanfic. I've finally finished my other three, and this was the next story in my mind. There will probably be weekly to bi-weekly updates until the story is finished. Be sure to review! Hope you enjoyed!


	2. First Round

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, YuYu Hakusho (As much as I'd love to) or any of the anime/manga characters.

First Round

After Kagome explained that she'd be gone a few days to the children, she told them that they'd be staying with Genkai, a really powerful psychic who helped train her, while she was gone. All of them were really excited.

When the day to leave came, she gave them all a kiss goodbye and then she left through the portal that formed. She found herself at a dock, in front of a massive boat.

"Alright, listen up you weaklings!" yelled an old man. "This is like last time. Everyone fights, and the people who survive to the island are in the tournament. Any questions?"

Then, he was gone and several thousand demons were boarding the massive vessel. Kagome quickly found her team, and they were all eyeing the others warily.

"Hey listen, guys," she said upon reaching them, "I don't know what he was talking about, but if everyone's going to fight, do you mind staying back? I really want to cut loose, and I haven't been able to do that in almost a year."

They all turned their wary eyes to her and she smiled sweetly.

"Fine, whatever," Yusuke sighed. "Might as well see what you can do when you're serious."

"Alright! Everyone, report to the center of the boat!" yelled the old man. Several minutes later, every demon was there and a horn blew.

"Fight!"

The entire demon population turned to Kagome in unison. Looks like they wanted to get rid of the 'filthy human' before killing each other. They were in for a surprise.

"Alright, little girl. What's say you kill yourself? That way we don't have to get your filthy blood on us," said a tall lizard demon.

"Or, you can all go to Hell," she bit out as she let her power flare. Her raven-black hair rose on an unseen wind and suddenly, red energy engulfed her hand. "Blades of Blood!"

She dug her claws into the skin of her palm and let the blood fly, fusing it with her youki. The blades tore through several dozens of the demons before vanishing. Not that Inuyasha couldn't have done better, but Kagome had to say she was using his gift well.

"Little bitch!"

Suddenly, Kagome's eyes flashed red and she smirked cruelly.

"Ten percent," she said, eyeing them all.

"What?"

"I can kill you all in under a minute using ten percent of my power."

The demons began laughing hysterically while her teammates gaped at her. The way she said that was too confident.

"Really? You think _you_, some weak little human woman, can kill _all of us_ in one minute!?"

"No. I said _under _one minute," she sighed.

"I'd like to see you try! There's fifty of us and _one _of you!"

Kagome's claws grew and sharpened while she let her youki flare.

"Well then, I guess killing me shouldn't be too difficult, huh?"

The demons, fed up with her ignorance and stupidity, charged. For a whole forty five seconds, she dodged them with ease and even clawed fifteen to death. Then, it reached the fiftieth second and _she _charged. Demon corpses littered her path as she went, decapitating them with her claws and purifying them with the arrows she made out of her reiki. She slew the last one on the fifty-ninth second with a smirk.

"Well, that was good exercise," she said as her features returned to those of a human, and she turned to her gaping teammates.

"Oh my god! That was seriously only _ten percent_ of your power!?" Kuwabara gasped, his face paled.

"Well, I didn't want to insult them too much, but that was actually only two," she said with a sheepish smile.

"T-T-Two percent!?" he stuttered. "What the hell kind of a demon are you!?"

"Several, but that's hardly the point," Kagome sighed. "How long's this boat trip?"

"It took a while last time," Yusuke grumbled. "Though I slept through most of it," he said with a slight blush of embarrassment.

"I'll be in my room. Come get me when we get to the island," she said before vanishing. As soon as she was gone, Kurama sighed.

"This is most peculiar."

"What is? That she's a raging psychopath?" Yusuke grumbled.

"No, though that does raise some concerns. But what I mean is that I've heard about this miko about 500 years ago. She was apparently a peaceful miko who helped anyone who needed it and befriended a great number of humans and demons alike. She was the guardian of a sacred, powerful relic, and she was more pure than anything in this world, according to the rumors from that time."

"500 years!? No way! It has to be a relative or somethin'," Yusuke argued.

"No, fool. The rumors are that she could travel from the past to the future," Hiei said, remembering what he'd heard suddenly. "Apparently, there's some well that allowed her access to the past from this era, though it was destroyed a year ago."

"One year ago? Isn't that when she said she last cut loose?" Kuwabara asked.

"Yes, fool."

"So that begs the question; what happened to her one year ago?" Kurama asked as Youko began to stir…

As the boat docked, Kagome awoke to the feeling of incredible youki. She quickly left her room and found her group heading toward her. When they saw her, they spun and headed for the boat's exit.

They came across a large hotel and found that they had a large room waiting for them after Kagome was inspected to make sure it wasn't a concealment spell over Genkai. As she got to the room, she felt several large auras at the end of the hall.

Her gaze found a small boy with a colorful hat on standing next to a giant who reeked of booze and a man with blue, spiked hair that came down over his face. Upon seeing them, she quickly entered the room. They followed quickly, and Yusuke sighed at her tension.

"Relax, they're not enemies," he said exasperatedly. Just then, they entered and the demons grinned.

"Long time no see, eh, Yusuke?" the tall man asked. "And who's this little love you've got here? No Genkai this time?"

"Hey, Chu," Yusuke said with a smirk. "Genkai couldn't make it, so she came in the hag's place."

"Really? Well, nice ta meet ya," he said, extending a hand to Kagome, who shook it quickly. "I'm Chu."

"Kagome," she said before letting go of his hand.

"Kagome, huh? I like it! Say, are you as strong as Urameshi?"

Kagome kept her face straight as she shrugged.

"I don't know. I think that finding the answer out would be painful for someone."

While Chu assumed she was referring to herself, there wasn't a doubt in any of her teammates minds she meant Yusuke, and after seeing what she could do, he wasn't inclined to disagree.

"Well, if we end up fighting, make sure to give it your all!"

"Oh, don't worry about that," she said with a genuine smile. "Holding back isn't my forte."

After that, Kagome took a shower while the demons talked. As the warm water soothed her skin, she closed her eyes. Memories were beginning to unlock themselves, and that was a bad sign…

**Flashback**

"Koga!" she screamed as the kurohanyo's tentacle tore through the wolf's chest, leaving a poison-filled crater in his center.

Quickly calling her healing powers to her, Kagome ran to him.

"Koga, hang on!"

A dark laughter filled the air and Kagome glared at Naraku with so much hatred that he actually cringed slightly. It was unexpected that Kagome would show such raw aggression. Perhaps attacking the wolf first had been a bad choice.

Koga's wound was refusing to heal.

"No, please, Koga! Don't die!"

"Ka-go… me…"

He coughed up blood and tears welled in Kagome's eyes. Suddenly, she felt his spirit leave his body and then she was filled with an incredible power.

"What!?"

_Kill Naraku_, Koga's voice said before fading. She stood frozen as her leg muscles increased in tone and grew more muscular. They looked like Ayame's, only tanner. Power poured through her entire body from her new legs and she began to draw another arrow to fire at the kurohanyo.

"What's wrong, Kagome? I thought you didn't like the wolf," Naraku mocked. His answer was a massive burst of holy power surging toward him. He reacted quickly enough to dodge it, but just barely.

"Something the matter?"

Kagome looked at the various wounds riddling her friends' bodies and power strong enough to turn the ground to smoke rose from her as her eyes shifted color from blue to a dark, angry silver.

"I'm going to kill you! Today, your evil is going to end, _Naraku_!"

**End of Flashback**

Kagome's eyes slowly opened and she realized the water on her face wasn't from the shower. Her body began to shake, and she became angrier the longer she couldn't stop it.

"Damnit! Damn you," she said, images of Naraku's cocky face making her tears flow freely.

Then, she remembered that other people were nearby and could probably smell the salt, and she turned the shower off. She was _not_ going to look weak to anybody. Not ever again.

As she dressed in her pajamas, a large T-shirt and jeans, she felt more tears coming. Refusing to let them out, she exited the bathroom to find nobody else there. On the door was a note:

Kagome, didn't want to disturb your shower. We're going to check out what kind of competition there is. Be back in a bit.

-Kurama

Kagome sighed. She wasn't tired, and there wasn't a television or anything in the room. Just as she decided to go find her teammates, there was a knock on the door.

She stepped outside to find the man from the videotapes smiling at her.

"Hello, there. Say, you wouldn't happen to have seen an old woman around, have you?"

"No, Genkai isn't here," she spat out. "I'm the one you're looking for."

"Really? Such a young thing is that near-demigod's replacement?"

"I'm not as harmless as I look."

"Very well then. I have Urameshi's wife. If you'll be so kind as to give me your information so I can verify that you're who you say you are, I will give her to you."

"And I should trust you because…?" she prompted.

"Oh, you shouldn't. But, seeing as the reason you're here is my request, you've really got no choice if you want her safe."

"Fine," she bit out. "Show me the girl first."

Despite her past innocence, Kagome had long ago learned trust was something not to be easily given out, and this man _definitely _didn't warrant it.

The man sighed and Keiko was dragged into the hallway from a room nearby by a massive man with piercings covering his face. At his side were two massive swords, and strapped to his back was a _huge_ ax. Keiko looked at her and tears rolled down her eyes.

Before the man or her guard could react, Kagome vanished and she reappeared in front of her door with Keiko in her grasp.

"Are you alright?" she asked the girl. Using her aura, she sensed the woman was _definitely _the same Keiko she'd known as a child. She weakly nodded and Kagome sighed.

"Alright. My name's Kagome. I live at a shrine."

"That's enough information, thank you," the man said, a cocky smile on his face. "Have any family?"

"Yes, doesn't everyone?"

"Smart-ass," he spat.

"I'm not intimidated by you or your goon."

"I would hope not, or this tournament would be completely unentertaining. Well, Kagome who lives in a shrine, please be sure to send my regards to Urameshi. And try to make this tournament entertaining."

With that, the man and his guard left and Kagome sighed in relief. She could've killed them easily, but that probably wouldn't be good.

"Where's Yusuke?" Keiko asked, her eyes tearing. Kagome smiled slightly and grabbed the woman's hand.

"I was just going to go looking for them. But first, do you want to change?"

Keiko nodded and the two quickly went into the room.

"So, who are you?" Keiko asked as she slipped on an outfit similar to Kagome's, since she had about thirteen of the same thing in her large duffel bag.

"Kagome."

"Kagome?"

Recognition flared in Keiko's eyes and she grinned.

"Kagome _Higurashi_!?"

Kagome nodded and found herself in a tight hug.

"It's been so long! What are you doing here? What have you been up to?"

"Whoa, whoa, slow down and breathe, Keiko. I'm here because I saw what they were going to do to you and couldn't let it go. So, shall we go find the boys?"

Keiko nodded vigorously and Kagome lifted her onto her back. She nearly screamed when Kagome took off at speeds that were probably close to Hiei's. After passing dozens of dark blurs, she stopped and they were stared at by dozens of demons.

"Sorry, the ride can be a little disorienting," Kagome apologized to a stumbling Keiko. She gently guided her through the crowd, ignoring the snarls and whistles as she walked up to her teammates. They were focused intently on a screen, and she looked up to find a bunch of names.

"Hey, guys. Is that the roster?" she asked, making them all jump. When they turned, they found Keiko pale and shaking and Yusuke was instantly at her side.

"Keiko! What's wrong? Did they hurt you?"

Keiko weakly shook her head and Kagome sighed.

"Sorry. I kind of forgot to warn her to not hold her breath before I took off," she shrugged. "She should recover soon though. I don't think they did anything overly dramatic to her."

"Where'd you find her?"

"Our _oh so gracious_ host stopped by asking my name. He left after I told him my name was Kagome. So, who are we up against?" she asked Kurama while a stunned Yusuke stared at her.

"Wait! He showed up!? At our room?"

"Yeah. He said to give you his regards."

"And why the hell didn't you kick his ass!?" Yusuke snarled. Now, the entire group was focused on them and Kagome shrugged.

"I have his scent. I can kill him later. The important thing was getting Keiko out of their hands. So seriously, who are we fighting?" she once again asked Kurama.

Nobody could believe she was so nonchalant about what she'd just said. She'd pretty much admitted she was going to kill a human later, as if it wasn't a big deal. That's something a demon would do, not a miko.

Annoyed, she scanned the screen and found their team name next to the name of their opponents. She was surprised to find that they were the very first fight in the tournament, and the fight started in about an hour.

"Scared?" asked a tinny voice to her right. Unlike everyone else, she didn't tense.

"Are you the captain?" she asked, surprising everyone.

"Yes, I am. Want an autograph?"

"No, just your surrender," she said with a shrug. "If you surrender, I won't need to waste my energy on weaklings."

The demon snarled and began to swing a sword at her. She moved out of its path with little effort and sighed.

"Is that a 'no'?"

He swung again, receiving the same result.

"Little, arrogant bitch! Humans should _not_ be here!"

Kagome shrugged and blocked his next swing.

"You shouldn't underestimate people. It can have bad results," she growled. His eyes bulged when he found the broken-off tip of his sword pressed to his jugular vein, not quite breaking it.

"See you in an hour," she said before dropping it. The demon turned and ran while every other demon glared at her.

"If you don't want me on your team now that Keiko's safe, I'd understand," she said without turning around.

She scanned the screen for any familiar names on it. She found a few, who she'd heard about through rumors recently. They were supposed to be pretty strong.

They all stared at the bipolar demon before them with mixed expressions. Kuwabara was downright scared while Hiei was curious. Kurama was analyzing her, trying to figure out the puzzle that was 'Kagome.' Yusuke was impressed that she had enough guts to make the offer of surrender to a demon. Keiko was just horrified.

"Kagome? What happened to you since we were kids?" she asked.

"Oh, a lot of things," she said with a shrug. "It's funny. I used to be considered the most pure being on the planet after saints and Midoriko, but now I'm a demon drenched in blood. Odd how things turn out, isn't it?"

"You've got a real emo thing goin' on, don't ya?" Yusuke asked.

"Emo? No, nothing like that. Depressed, maybe. Or apathetic. Maybe a bit psychotic. But not emo."

A loudspeaker beeped and they all looked up.

"All of today's teams, please report to the stadium in fifteen minutes."

"Well, I guess I'll see you," Kagome said before walking away.

"You can't leave, or we'll be disqualified, Kagome," Kurama sighed.

That's not what stopped her, however. She didn't make it three steps before a sudden sense of dread filled her. Her miko senses were telling her that leaving would be a _very _bad idea, and they were very rarely wrong in her entire life.

"Alright, but at least try not to hate me too much while we're here," she sighed.

She changed her path and found herself in a large group of demons heading toward a ring. Thirty minutes of inspecting her surroundings later, the announcer demon proclaimed the first match ready to begin.

"Will Team Urameshi pick their first fighter?"

Kurama jumped onto the stage and found himself staring at a large lizard demon.

"Kurama, I'm going to enjoy eating your entrails!"

"Rose Whip!"

The rose in his hand exploded with youki and the spiked whip grew in his hand. As soon as the bell rang, the match was over. The rest of the matches went similar, with Yusuke using a Shotgun and Hiei decapitating an enemy to quickly clinch their victory. That out of the way, Kagome could now draw things out a bit.

"Alright, fourth fighters, step up!"

A tall man draped in black formed on the stage and smirked, long ebony fangs gleaming. His power was much higher than the others'.

"Hey, you guys can go back to the hotel," Kagome said with a smile. "Enjoy our first victory. I want to work up a sweat today."

"You sure?" Kuwabara asked. "There's another guy, too."

"I'll be fine," she said with a deceivingly sweet smile. "Go enjoy Keiko's safe return. I'll be there to join you as soon as this is over."

Knowing that she was going to make this battle like torture, the group left. It was agreed that Hiei should stay behind and observe her actions upon his own request. While they left for the hotel, the small demon used his Jagan to quickly conceal his presence completely as he watched the onna.

Kagome jumped onto the stage.

"Hey, would it be alright if I fought you both at once?" she asked the man. Behind him was the team's captain, who was glaring daggers at her.

"You have a deathwish?" he asked before jumping onto the stage.

"Umm… I'm not sure if this is legal," the announcer said.

"It's fine," Kagome said. "It's not like it's an advantage to _me_, right?"

Her ears twitched and she listened intently to her headset.

"Alright, I guess it _is _legal. The final fight of the first match of the Dark Tournament is here! Kagome versus Doctor Shishi and Tsukiki. Begin!"

A bell dinged and Kagome smiled.

"You seem pretty tough. I'm guessing… one whole minute at three percent," she said, eyeing the mysterious man's aura. "And you're… one second at one percent," she said, her smile dropping upon seeing the captain's weak aura.

"What the hell are you babbling about!?" he barked.

"Hey, can you keep a time for me?" she asked the surprised announcer, who caught the stopwatch she threw her.

"Umm… okay?"

She pressed the button and Kagome started slowly walking towards them. She slowly let her youki flare and just the sheer power of _one freaking percent _of her power made the captain begin to shake.

With a groan, she threw a fireball and he disintegrated.

"_Please _tell me you're not that weak," she said to the other man, who was drawing twin daggers.

"I'm not that weak. Shall we get started?"

The area began to cool as his daggers started glowing. Blue and yellow energy began to twine around their edges as the air grew colder.

"Start!"

He ran at her, daggers drawn. Deciding that she really _did _want to draw this out, she let them graze her to gauge the man's power. Her arm began to smoke as she spun around. She smirked as the smoke dissipated and she let go of more of her youki. Ten percent of her power was released and several demons in the audience spontaneously lit on fire.

"Shoot… Maybe I should use only three percent…"

The man charged at her again and when Kagome went to dodge, she suddenly found her feet paralyzed.

"Tsukikiba!" the man yelled. The daggers hit her and she was thrown back, smoke rising from the gashes along her arms.

"Alright! That actually stung! What class are you?"

"B-Class, human," he said before charging at her again.

Kagome sighed and her wounds instantly healed.

"Alright, then. I'll put myself at a B-Class's power…"

Her youki immediately cut off and the man stopped in surprise.

"What?"

"There, that should even the odds," she said with a smile. Her movements were now less agile and graceful while her claws were duller and her power, compared to its previous state, was pitiful.

"Are you mocking me!?"

"No, I just want your pride to be intact. I said one minute at ten percent, but it might be one and a half at three."

He snarled and his aura grew. In the past, a demon this strong would've scared her. But without Naraku, there really wasn't anything intimidating anymore.

"Man! I really hope there's some S-Classes in the finals, or I'll be so bored."

He lunged at her and she sighed. Her claw flared with power and it was pushed through the demon's now-smoking chest. With a gurgled cry, he died. She looked at the announcer, who was wide-eyed.

"Amazing… With an _incredible _time of forty seconds, Kagome wins!"

There were boos and shouts throughout the stadium and Kagome smirked.

Hopefully, the next fight would be a bit more challenging in the second round…

A/N:

Alright! That's chapter 1 of 'Darkness'! What do you think? Good, bad, or indifferent? Be sure to give me your thoughts and opinions!

Now then, I want to clear something up. I'm making Kagome this strong for a reason, which will be later revealed. She may seem like an untouchable god of fighting right now, but that will change by the end of the third round.

And, here's how the tournament will work:

Round 1- 64 teams

Round 2- 32 teams

Round 3- 16 teams

Round 4- 8 teams

Semi-finals- 4 teams

Finals- 2 teams

Needless to say, there will be a lot of time for character development.


	3. Time to Kill

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, YuYu Hakusho (As much as I'd love to) or any of the anime/manga characters.

Time to Kill

As Kagome left the stadium, she smirked. That had felt good. But she hoped there were plenty of A- and S-Class demons or there wouldn't be any challenge at all.

"That was foolish," Hiei's voice said from behind her. She didn't jump, like he'd expected, but she at least seemed surprised.

"What was?"

"Showing what you can do so early, fool," he sighed.

"I showed them nothing. I'm not going to waste my power on weaklings."

"Hn. I sincerely hope you're not as arrogant as you seem, or you'll be sure to have a painful death."

"It's not arrogance if you can back it up. So, what's with the advice? You seemed most likely to want me dead."

"I respect power and control. You have both. Aside from that, I'd rather you didn't die, lest we be disqualified."

She smirked.

"Thanks for the concern. I was wondering about your arm," she said suddenly.

"What about it?" he asked defensively.

"I sense incredible power under the seal, but I can't tell what it is…"

"Then I guess the seal is effective, isn't it?" he sneered.

Kagome frowned before suddenly stopping.

"Hey, now I'm worked up. Want to race to the hotel?"

Hiei began laughing before seeing she was serious.

"Alright. If I win, you'll tell me how a miko became a psychopathic demon."

"Fine. If _I_ win, then you'll tell me what's under the seal."

"Done," Hiei said with a cocky smirk.

Kagome hit a tree nearby and a single leaf started following.

"Start when the leaf hits the ground," she said before taking a stance.

The leaf landed and the two were gone in black and blue blurs.

Within half a minute, the two were halfway across the island and almost at the hotel.

Hiei was annoyed that the miko was matching his pace perfectly and pushed youki into his legs. At the last second, he burst forward and beat her to the hotel by a mere second.

Kagome screeched to a halt, giggling.

"That was great! You're faster than I thought," she said between pants.

"Hn."

Hiei was simply amazed. He'd actually had to run to the point of sweating to beat the miko by _a_ second. He was sincerely looking forward to hearing her story.

"So, you won," she sighed. "I'd rather nobody overheard my story," she said, heading for the shore.

Hiei followed, truly interested now. When they reached a cave, a barrier rose around its mouth and she sat against the rock wall.

"So how much do you know?"

"You traveled with a slayer, monk, kit, and a inu hanyo in the past You also made some very odd acquaintances and fought against a demon named Naraku to protect the Shikon no Tama, as its guardian."

"Alright. Then I'll skip everything up to the week prior to the final battle…

**Flashback**

Kagome pulled the jewel shard from the demon's chest, a triumphant smile on her face.

"Yes! Now we just need the other half and the jewel will be complete!"

"Don't forget where that half is, Lady Kagome," Miroku sighed, wiping away her smirk.

"I know. He'll be coming, soon."

The others tensed when they sensed a fast-approaching demon, but Kagome simply sighed.

"Hello, Kagura," she said, smiling as the wind sorceress appeared.

"Why the hell are _you_ here, Kagura!?" Inuyasha barked, his hand gripping the hilt of Tetsusaiga.

"Relax, Inuyasha," Kagome sighed. "Did you get what I asked?" she asked Kagura.

She nodded slightly and revealed a small pouch.

"You said if I got these for you, you could help me," she said before tossing the bag to Kagome.

"That's right. Just give me a few minutes to set it up."

Everyone watched as she pulled an arrow from her quiver and began carving a circle around herself and Kagura.

"Kagome, may I ask what you're doing?" Miroku asked.

"Yeah, what the hell!?"

"Inuyasha, be quiet. I need to concentrate," she said before closing the circle. With that done, she drew the arrow against her bow and let it fly. It landed behind Kagura and she quickly shot four more in the four cardinal directions. Power filled the air and she quickly grabbed a yellow crystal from the pouch.

After a quick chant, the crystal flashed bright blue and exploded into dust. The arrows around them began to glow and she watched as blood trickled from her palm.

"Alright. Kagura, can I have one of your feathers?"

The sorceress cautiously handed her one and stared in shock as it became bright red from the miko's blood.

Another chant left Kagome and she began to glow, her aura resonating with the jewel's. Her eyes were now bright white, and she smiled.

"Alright. Kagura, you need to release your youki. When that's done, you just need to close your eyes. There'll be some pain, but when it's over, you'll be free."

"What exactly are you going to do, miko?" she asked warily.

"That's what I want to know," Inuyasha growled.

"I'm going to give you your heart," she said surprising everyone.

"What? Naraku has my heart! What are you _really _doing, miko?" she asked angrily.

"It's true. He _does_ have your heart. But your heart shares your youki. In this circle, the dominant power calls to itself. It doesn't matter what Naraku does, it'll come to you. But you have to trust me for this to work, Kagura."

"Why would you help me, miko?"

"You hate Naraku almost as much as we do, for starters. You also helped us find him several times. And you protected Kohaku, as well. You may be part of him, but you're not Naraku."

Everyone was gaping at her while a wall of blue energy surrounded them.

"How is it that a miko would so easily trust not only a demon, but a demon created in order to kill you?" Kagura asked, bewildered.

"If you'd actually wanted to kill me, we wouldn't be in this circle right now. Can you release your youki now?"

Kagura's eyes closed and red energy left her body. The circle flashed purple and the arrows exploded into silver dust.

Kagome said the final chant and all of the energy exploded into a skyward column. Both of them began to glow with the column's light. A beating mass of tissue suddenly appeared in front of a bewildered Kagura.

The sorceress's mouth opened in a silent scream as the mass launched into her chest and her eyes flashed blood-red.

The feel of her heart beating in her chest brought tears to the demon's eyes. Suddenly, the power surrounding them vanished and Kagome dropped to her knees, panting.

When she looked up, everyone gasped at finding dark red eyes where her blue ones had been.

"Does it hurt, Kagura?" Kagome asked, taking in the demon's pale face. When she didn't answer, Kagome felt all the stares focused on her.

"What?"

When nobody answered, she pulled out a mirror and stared wide-eyed at her reflection.

"Oh man," she sighed.

"What exactly just happened? Why do you suddenly smell like Kagura?" Inuyasha asked.

"It's the ritual. It wasn't originally for this."

"What _was_ it for, exactly?" he barked.

"It was a spell to bring out a hybrid demon's dominant power. I redid it so that, instead of separating them, the other half of Kagura would be pulled to her… Unfortunately, I was needed, and there was a reason hybrid demons performed the ritual alone…"

"Which was…?" he prompted.

"Well… the ritual was originally for separating themselves and rebuilding their youki without whichever half they deemed 'useless.' So, generally, other people being inside was a bad idea as the stray youki would most likely kill them."

"What!?"

"I redid the spell, though. Instead of separating and halving a demon, I made it to complete one. So, the heart came to her body as the result."

"And now you smell like a demon!"

"Well… To do the ritual, I needed to manipulate my qi to control the circle and hold everything here so the heart would correctly find us… And it seems that youki mixed with my aura when I did so…"

"Stop saying things like it's not a big deal, wench!"

"Sit," she sighed before turning to Kagura.

"You have your freedom, so do me a favor and use it well, okay?"

Kagura stared at the miko in amazement.

"You've done this for me, a demon who's tried to kill you so many times…"

"Not your fault. But I suggest you get out of here in a hurry," she said, her eyes focused on an approaching, wrathful aura.

"How'd he get here so quickly?" she asked, lifting her fans. Suddenly, Kagome's hand wrapped around it and stilled the movement.

"Leave, Kagura. I gave you freedom, so please don't waste it dying."

Kagura's eyes widened as power began to flow around the miko.

"Besides, he's not going to get close enough to worry about," she said before drawing a bow and arrow. Her red eyes focused on the sky and power wrapped around the entire clearing.

The arrow launched and the air it passed through began to shimmer with an unseen flame as purple energy wrapped around the arrowhead.

When it met a tree, a massive explosion went off and a brilliant dome of light rose, completely surrounding the entire area around them, and keeping Naraku away.

"Go," she said with a smile to the wind sorceress.

"I'll find a way to repay you for this, miko."

"My name's Kagome," she said with a frown. "And all you need to do is live and make sure that you don't kill anyone without a good reason."

The barrier shattered after several dozen tentacles began barraging it and she smiled. With that, Kagura nodded and she was high in the sky, moving too fast for even Naraku to catch.

"Inuyasha, I want you to stay out of the fight," she said as the aura approached at incredible speeds.

"What!? Did you hit your head, wench!?"

"No. It's just a puppet, and it doesn't have any shards. Don't waste your energy."

The others gaped at her and she sighed. That was getting annoying.

"Stop staring at me. I'm perfectly sane."

"Really? Cause you're not exactly making that obvious. You just helped _Kagura_! With some kind of dark demon magic! And now you're telling me not to fight Naraku! And you're saying you're _sane_, wench!?"

"Don't argue," she snapped, surprising him. "The final battle will be soon, but it won't be today."

"How right you are, Kagome," said a dark voice nearby. Out of the woods stepped Naraku, his barrier shimmering and his dark red eyes focused on her. "My my, what _have_ you done to yourself, Kagome? If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were a demon."

"If you've got no point here than I'll just finish this quickly," Kagome said before drawing another arrow. The amusement vanished from the kurohanyo's expression and tentacles began to snake their way toward her.

"Oh, but I do have a point here. This puppet of mine isn't as weak as the others. It's meant to take the jewel from you."

"Too bad for you."

She unleashed the arrow and a massive spray of both youki and reiki followed it in a whirlpool-looking vortex of energy.

It hit his barrier and the puppet was shredded apart. As its head began to vanish, a smile formed.

"Six days. We'll meet in the field outside of Inuyasha's Forest. And then, this will be over, once and for all."

The face disappeared and they quickly returned to Kaede's village. If Naraku was going to be outside of Inuyasha's Forest, then he'd be near there, and that was bad…

The rest of the week passed quickly, with everyone training to be able to fight to their limits. On the fifth night, every ally they had showed up.

As Kagome and Sango were heading toward the spring for a bath, they sensed a quickly approaching mass of demons, and tensed. When they reached the spring, they found a large pack of two different kind of wolves rushing past them, while Ayame the wolf princess stepped into the spring.

"Hello, Kagome," she said upon seeing the two women.

"Hi… Ayame."

"Koga's already at the village," she said, smiling smugly.

"He's already here?"

Kagome closed her eyes and when she spread her aura, they flew open.

"Oh, this could get really ugly… Umm… I'll see you both later," she said to Sango and Ayame before spinning and taking off through the woods. When she stopped, she found the scene she'd been expecting.

"You bitch! A sneak attack!?"

Koga lunged at Kagura, who had just shown up, and the ground exploded where his fist reached.

"Calm down, wolf," Sesshomaru sighed. "She smells not of Naraku."

Koga's eyes narrowed as he took in Kagura's scent. His eyes widened in shock as soon as it reached him.

"You're right… She smells like… Kagome?"

"I do?" Kagura asked in surprise. That's when the two noticed Kagome, and Koga snarled.

"What the hell!? Why does _Kagome _smell like _Naraku_!?"

"I do?" she repeated, as confused as Kagura.

"It's some dumbass ritual the wench did," Inuyasha said nearby. "The stupid woman let herself get turned into a demon!"

"Inuyasha?"

"What, wench?"

"SIT!"

The branch he was perched on shattered under his downward pull, and he hit the ground growling.

"Serves you right. Anyway, he's right about the part of the ritual… I guess more than our energy mixed…"

"There seems to be a lot of 'unexpected things' that are happening from this ritual, miko," Kagura said accusingly.

"Well, I _did _only ever try it with you. Not like the need came up otherwise."

"So I was a test subject, then?"

"Well, not exactly. I _am _a miko. I know what I'm doing with spells."

"Evidently not," said a voice behind her. She spun to find Kikyo staring at her. The older miko's eyes widened at the red hue of her eyes.

"I see… Experimenting, were we?"

"What the hell is going on!?" Koga bellowed in frustration.

"Well, first off, you should know that Kagura isn't under Naraku's control," she said, making his eyes widen.

"And how did you pull that off?"

"Demon magic," Kikyo said, eyeing the two women, who had slight similarities now.

"Well… kind of," Kagome admitted, eyes downcast and face flushed.

"Untrained fool," she sighed.

"It worked!"

"And now you're a demon."

"Not entirely," Kagome said defensively. "I can only control a _little_ youki, and it's not like I can do anything truly demonic!"

Kagome felt all of the eyes on her, and she sighed.

"Right, this probably doesn't make much sense… Okay, here's the deal. I used a ritual to return Kagura's heart to her. Her heart was in Naraku's possession, and it was how he controlled her. To return her heart, I reworked a hybrid demon's spell so that instead of separating a demon, it would complete them. When it was through, some of Kagura's youki was in me, she had her heart, and Naraku was more than a little angry."

Everyone who hadn't been present seemed to accept this explanation, and Kagome turned to Kikyo.

"When this battle is over, we'll decide who has the complete soul, little reincarnation," Kikyo said in a cold voice.

"Whatever," she sighed before walking past her into the woods. With a sigh, she stripped and slid into the relaxing spring. Both of the other women were staring at her and she sighed.

"This is going to be a _very _short alliance, I think."

"Why?" Ayame asked. "What happened? And why'd you charge off?"

"Well… Kagura showed up, and so did Kikyo…"

"Kagura? Isn't that one of Naraku's incarnations?" Ayame asked in surprise.

"Well, she _was_, until Kagome released her," Sango explained.

"Really? How'd you release her? Come to think of it, you smell different. I would say you smell demonic, but that can't be right…"

Ayame's eyes narrowed in concentration as she sniffed the air, but stopped five minutes later, frustrated at her senses.

"Well… To release her, I kind of became a little bit demon," Kagome said, staring at the water. Red eyes reflected up to her, and she sighed.

"Why would a miko turn herself into a demon?" Ayame asked, beyond confused.

"Well, it wasn't really something I expected to happen… But it doesn't matter. It's happened and it's over with, so there's nothing to do about it now."

Ayame was about to answer when her eyes widened and her entire body stiffened. Kagome did as well, her new senses, though weaker than a normal demon's, warning her of the approaching danger.

Out of nowhere, Hakudoshi formed, and he began to swing his scythe at the three. He was surprised when a hand caught it, and the miko pushed him back.

The distraction of her naked body made him slow the fraction of a second needed for her to hit him with her miko qi. He flew backward through the trees as his barrier formed.

"Ayame, Sango, let's get back to the village," she said as she got dressed with inhuman speed.

"What!? Why would we retreat!? He's just some kid," Ayame barked.

"He's got a barrier, and there's no way we can break it. We need the Tetsusaiga," she said before lifting her bow and drawing an arrow taut. "I'll distract him. You two go get Inuyasha."

With that, she let the arrow fly and the forest shook as it passed the trees. The air around Kagome became charged with a _lot _of power. Seeing that she could last a while, the two got dressed and took off for the camp.

As soon as they were out of sight, Hakudoshi appeared.

"That was unwise. We both know you'll be dead before they get close."

Kagome smirked and grabbed another arrow.

"Well, I'm feeling lucky today. Is this a surprise attack or are you on your own?"

"Does it matter?"

"Well, I'm curious as to whether you're acting on orders or just came her to attack on your own."

"What's the difference?"

"I can forgive you if you're here on orders, but if it's because you wanted to attack, then I have to attack you, and I don't want to use my energy on anyone but Naraku."

"_Forgive me_!? What makes you think I give a damn whether you forgive me or not!?"

Hakudoshi lifted his weapon and began to swing at her. The blade's movement was stopped by the arrow, which she held horizontally in front of her. The wooden shaft of the arrow shimmered with purple energy, and he couldn't push any further toward her.

"Sorry, you lose."

His eyes widened as the energy left the shaft. His weapon was covered in light and then, his body was completely and utterly decimated by the waves of power she released.

"How!?" his floating head barked.

"It's the final battle. I'm not going to hold back anymore, and I'm _certainly _not going to let the fact that I'm a miko stop me from keeping myself alive anymore. It's time to kill. Tell that to him, if you live."

His eyes widened as she drew another arrow against her bow and, the second she let it loose, he was gone.

"Kagome!"

Inuyasha and Miroku burst through the woods only to find her holding her bow in front of a massive splash of blood and body parts that covered the trees.

"Oi! What the hell happened!?"

"Hakudoshi attacked…"

"Whose blood is that!?" Inuyasha asked, grabbing the Tetsusaiga as he glared around the forest.

"Hakudoshi's," Kagome said quietly. "I missed by a few inches, but I almost had him…"

**End of Flashback**

"Well, good night, Hiei," Kagome said, standing up.

"That's it?"

"You wanted to know how I became a psychotic demon, not how I got to be as powerful as I am," she said with a wink. "Maybe next time."

And with that, the barrier dropped and she was gone, leaving Hiei staring blankly at the cave wall.

The miko was _definitely _interesting, to say the least. And he suddenly found himself wanting to know the rest of the story…

A/N:

Okay, there's chapter 2! I had a good time writing this. I like making Kagome darker, in case you've noticed, and I promise you that it will only get darker. Review! Remember, constructive criticism is a writer's friend!


	4. Pain and Suffering

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, YuYu Hakusho (As much as I'd love to) or any of the anime/manga characters.

Pain and Suffering

Kagome woke up the next morning feeling energetic. So, as she'd often done in the past, she went out for a run to burn off some of said energy.

When she was making her way back to complete her circuit around the island, she found herself in front of a stadium. Loud shouts and excited whoops were coming from it, so she decided some entertainment would be a good thing. As she entered, she saw the small boy from the other day jumping around the ring, a man with a huge ax chasing him.

She didn't know about the ax-wielding demon, but it was obvious to Kagome the boy was playing with him.

And then, he threw _yo-yos_ at him, as though they were a weapon. She would've laughed, had she not sensed the energy coming from them. The yo-yos smashed into the demon and he screamed as they lifted him high into the air. And then, they were flying downward and he hit the ring with a painful, wet _crunch _sound.

"Winner of the thirtieth match of round one, Rinku!"

The yo-yos retreated into his pocket and he smirked as he jumped off the stage.

"Okay! There will be a five-minute recess before the last two matches!"

Kagome watched as the kid and the tall drunkard, Chu, walked up from the stage and headed for where she was.

"Why, if it isn't the little love! Kagome, right?" Chu asked, smiling brightly.

"It was a good morning for some exercise."

"It is, ain't that the truth?"

The boy eyed her suspiciously and she smirked. She could feel the energy in his weapons, ready for use in case she made a move.

"You can relax. The toys don't frighten me, anyway," she said, smiling as though it wasn't the deep, wounding insult she knew it was.

"They're not just toys!"

"Relax, kid. I know. I could feel the energy. Impressive show. So, who's fighting next?"

"Don't know. Reckon it's someone pretty strong, since the demons are really coming in now," Chu one said, observing all of the appearing demons. Among them were her teammates, who immediately gravitated toward her.

"You're up early," Yusuke observed.

"Yeah, well, I woke up with a lot of energy and I just sort of… ended up here."

"I see… Did you see any strong enemies we might face?" Kurama asked, observing the gathering crowd.

"I just got here," she said with a shrug.

Two demons came past her and their conversation made her breath hitch.

"Did you hear!? This guy's team is amazing! I heard their captain was actually almost purified by a miko in the Warring States era!"

"Really? And he's still alive!?"

"That's what I heard. Maybe it's a hoax, though."

A chill ran through her spine as she listened, and she quickly walked up to them.

"Hey, that guy you're talking about; what's his name?"

They turned to her and smirked.

"Newbie. Get a program if you want to know. It's Kurana or something."

Kagome's heartbeat sped up. She had felt him die!

Suddenly, her knees started shaking as she felt a very familiar, very terrifying, very _dead _aura coming close to her.

"No way…"

She took a step back as a man with long black hair appeared.

"As energetic as ever, I see, Kagome."

Kagome began to backpedal as the man smirked darkly at her.

"You're dead… I killed you!"

"Evidently not well enough, my precious little miko," he said, stepping past the two confused demons toward her.

Claws immediately sprouted from her hands as she grabbed the sheath of Tetsusaiga.

"I wonder who would be the most disappointed, Kagome. Inuyasha? Or perhaps the slayer? Or perhaps Sesshomaru?"

Kagome snarled, her dark, black aura flaring to life.

"Oh, you wouldn't want to do that, Kagome. It would be unsportsmanlike. Attacking someone out of the ring would get your team disqualified, after all, and then, who knows what might happen to that girl?"

Kagome's eyes flared black and she snarled.

The demons around her eyed her in surprise, as her aura was darker than most demons present _combined_.

"Hey, Kagome, who's this joker?" Yusuke asked, making her tighten her grip on Tetsusaiga.

"I don't know how you're alive, but I swear to every god in existence that, this time, I'll make sure you're dead. Their souls won't rest until you are," she bit out, causing Naraku to smirk.

"Ah, I believe those are the same words you used last time, Kagome, and yet I'm still here."

"I'll fix that!"

She began to lunge when a tentacle tore through her stomach. She fell to the ground, clutching at the gaping wound. The pain was beyond excruciating, and her vision began to darken.

"Naraku, I'll kill you!"

She began to draw the Tetsusaiga when a hand grabbed her shoulder. The presence coming from the hand immediately made her calm down, and she closed her eyes…

When they opened again, she was in the hotel, and Yusuke was gripping her shoulder, yelling her name.

"Huh?" she said groggily as she sat up.

"What do you mean 'huh?' You were thrashing around and then you were yelling like there was somebody here! We thought someone was attacking!" he yelled angrily.

"A… dream… It was a dream?"

Kagome looked down to find her fingers trapped in massive, spiky nails, and youki was surrounding her body.

She took several calming breaths before the youki vanished and her nails shortened.

"Sorry…"

"What the hell were you seeing? It sounded like you were going to rip someone's head off, the way you were growling. I didn't know you had _fangs_."

Kagome's face turned bright red.

"Umm… it doesn't matter. It's not your concern," she said, standing up. "Sorry for waking you up."

"Hiei woke me up after you woke _him _up," he said with a sigh. "I was sleeping peacefully until he said that it sounded like you were talking to someone."

"He did? Oh… Sorry… I'll just get out of your hair, then," she said before quickly grabbing her bag and going into the bathroom. She exited wearing a small, form-fitting suit of armor with her two blades at her side and her hair tied back into a ponytail.

"Tell Hiei that I'm sorry. I'll be out in the woods," she said before taking off…

Kagome walked through the woods the entire morning, making sure to keep away from the stadium.

Around noon, she sensed three auras following her, though they were all extremely subtle. But the sense of hostility was unmistakable.

"Can I help you?" she asked, spinning to face them. All three demons seemed surprised she'd sensed them, and she sighed.

"If the answer is 'no' then stop following me!"

"I'm afraid we can't do that, little lady. See, there are plenty of demons who want to make sure Urameshi doesn't win again this time. And, since you're the only one who's stupid enough to wander through the woods, we decided to kill you to make things simple."

Kagome smirked.

"So, you're going to kill me, then? I'll tell you what. Since there are three of you, I'll give you nine tries each to hurt me. If you can't do it, then I'll retaliate."

The demons looked at her like she was psychotic and she sighed.

"I'll even promise not to use my hands and only one leg."

The demons snarled and she smirked.

"C'mon. I can't give you guys any more handicaps. Even _I _might not be able to avoid everything if there's anything else I don't use."

The demons snarled and charged at her, their claws and fangs gleaming in the sunlight. She briefly felt other presences nearby, but she ignored them as they only seemed curious. True to her word, she only used her left, and therefore weaker, leg to dodge all twenty-seven of their attacks. And then, she was on the offensive.

With a powerful leap, she launched through the air and knocked all three unconscious with one helicopter-kick. She landed with a sigh and looked up at the sky.

Just then, blasts of energy left the woods from every possible direction and angle, trapping her. Several hit, but the strong attacks she avoided with care. When she landed, her arm was smoking from blocking her vital organs with it, and she glared at the trees.

"That wasn't very nice."

There were various sounds that returned and more energy attacked her. This time, she simply raised a barrier and watched as they bounced back at their owners.

There were various screams of agony in the woods, and the barrier dropped.

"Had enough fun, onna?" asked a voice above her. She moved out of the way and Hiei landed, a smirk lighting her face.

"Sorry if I woke you up this morning."

"I don't sleep."

"Oh… okay, then. Well, I was just amazed at how rude these demons are. They don't even show me who I'm killing."

"You're a very strange ningen."

"Haven't been a ningen for a while, shorty. But I got an idea. There are thirty demons around us. Fifteen on either side. How about, I'll tell you more of the story if you kill your half faster than me, and if I win you'll tell me about that arm of yours?"

"Sounds fun, onna."

Kagome grabbed a branch and tossed it into the air.

"When it hits, start."

The branch met the ground and they were gone, two dark blurs of motion.

Hiei decapitated all fifteen of his before Kagome tore her fifteenth enemy apart.

"Darnit! I _will _find out what's under that seal!" she declared before they took off toward the cave again. She started again as soon as the barrier was up…

**Flashback**

"What the hell are you talking about!? _You _did that!?" Inuyasha gaped, staring at the blood covering the forest floor.

"Well… yeah…"

"Why the hell would you try to fight Hakudoshi _alone_!?"

"Because she's slowly losing her mind," said a new voice. They turned to find Kikyo eyeing Kagome suspiciously.

"I am _not _going insane!"

"Oh, but you are. A miko can't have youki. Since you do, your miko powers are fighting them off, and it's making your mind deteriorate rather quickly. I doubt you'll be of much use tomorrow."

"I might be dead by tomorrow, because Hakudoshi was sent here to try to kill some of us before the battle. Naraku's already here."

They all looked at her like she was insane and she frowned.

"What?"

"I don't smell him, wench."

"Nor do I sense him, Lady Kagome," Miroku said, his voice filled with concern.

"And I would've been alerted to his proximity by my barrier," Kikyo added.

"Oh yeah!? Then how'd Hakudoshi just pop in here and attack!? Answer that!"

Kikyo frowned and looked at the ground.

"A strange occurrence, nothing more."

Kagome frowned, closing her eyes as her aura spread. Anybody that could see it didn't fail to notice the red lacing the long blue coating around her.

Suddenly, a massive movement through the air caught her attention and before she could think, she swung her arm.

A massive burst of wind left her and everyone in the clearing was thrown back just before an explosion went off and a tall, skeletal man stood, red eyes focused on her.

A long, black face mask covered his bony head, and long claws extended from his hands. Two massive, gargoyle-like wings spread out from his back. And Kagome's biggest concern was the long, jagged sword in one of his claws, glowing with the shine of a tainted jewel shard.

"Miko," it said in a grating, metallic voice before lifting into the air.

And then, it was dive-bombing her and she dove away. It continued chasing her through the woods, its sword coming closer and closer to cutting into her with every swing. And then, they were suddenly out of the woods and the creature flew straight ahead, landing next to a massive army of silhouettes on the other end of a field.

"Hello, Kagome," said a dark voice. "It's so nice of you to come and deliver yourself to me like this."

"Naraku, there's no _way _you're getting the jewel shards! The term 'over my dead body' doesn't cut it, because I swear that I'll scatter the jewel again before I let you get the whole thing."

"Oh? You think so, Kagome?"

Kagome drew an arrow and took aim.

"You're not really thinking of going against me alone, are you? Hakudoshi isn't even close to being on the same level as me."

"Indeed," said a female voice. Kagome turned her head to see Kagura standing next to her, her fans drawn. "Dance of Blades!"

She swung the fan and massive scythes launched forward, ripping apart a small portion of Naraku's army.

The look of hatred on Naraku's face was empowering to Kagome, somehow.

"You _dare _betray me, Kagura!?"

"It's what you made me to do," she said with a shrug. "You no longer control me."

"Why're you here?" Kagome whispered. "I told you to be free."

"And I am. I freely chose to come here and aid in his demise."

"That's fine, then," Kagome sighed. "Can you create an opening for me?"

Kagura lifted her fan again and youki began to pour from her body.

"Dance of the Dead!"

All of the previously dead demons rebuilt themselves and rose from the ground, launching at Naraku. When he turned to fend them off, Kagome took her shot.

The arrow flew across the field and almost hit him before he made a massive shield of more than half the demon army around him. The arrow hit and instantly, Naraku was open again, though now Kagura's puppets were obliterated as well.

"Impressive. You've improved, Kagome. But not enough, it would seem."

She sensed the tentacle coming too late. It stabbed into her side and she was thrown several dozen feet into the air. Coming down, she was going twice that speed, and it was going to definitely hurt.

Only, it didn't. Just before she hit the ground, a pair of warm arms wrapped around her and she found herself staring up at Koga. As soon as his slide stopped, he let her stand again, and they both watched as all of their allies appeared. Also among them were Shippo, Kohaku and Rin. Kagome guessed that was for their protection.

A wave of youki burst forward from the trees, launching for Naraku. The barrier easily blocked it as Sesshomaru rushed out, charging at him head-on. And Inuyasha and Kikyo were on his sides, also preparing to attack.

Kikyo released an arrow laced with massive amounts of holy qi while the Tetsusaiga turned black and Sesshomaru raised his sword.

"Meidou Zangetsuha!"

Inuyasha leapt forward and released the powerful attack, completely obliterating Naraku's barrier as Sesshomaru's and Kikyo's attacks hit him. His body lit on fire and turned to ashes, and all three tensed.

That had been entirely too easy.

Suddenly, the ground shook and a mass of tentacles rose up. Everything fell into chaos from there. While everyone present was a skilled fighter, the humans were slow. Miroku was the first to go down, using his body to shield his beloved, who then got stabbed by the one that had been intended for Miroku in the first place. And then Kirara was impaled as she tried to defend her mistress.

While a good warrior, Koga was distracted by the humans' downfall for the fatal second necessary.

"Koga!" Kagome screamed as the kurohanyo's tentacle tore through the wolf's chest, leaving a poison-filled crater in his center.

Quickly calling her healing powers to her, Kagome ran to him.

"Koga, hang on!"

Evil laughter filled the clearing, and Kagome snarled, surprising him.

Koga's wound was refusing to heal.

"No, please, Koga! Don't die!"

"Ka-go… me…"

Then, she watched as Ayame blindly charged Naraku, absolutely lost in her hatred for the one that killed her mate.

She was quickly stabbed, and Kagome watched in horror as her body was absorbed.

Her attention returned to Koga when he coughed up blood and tears welled in Kagome's eyes.

Her head whipped around as she felt her other friends' lives fading away.

"Sango! Miroku! Kirara!"

She fell to her knees, her body wracked with trembling sobs.

_Kagome_, Sango's voice said in her head. She jumped up, looking around.

"What!?"

_Kagome, please take care of Kohaku for me, sister. And Hiraikotsu is yours now, as a completed pupil…_

A shimmering orb left Sango's body and flew straight at Kagome. As soon as it hit, her mind was filled with knowledge that belonged to Sango. Weaponry, strategy, poison-making, and combat all became a natural part of her memories. Another orb left Kirara, and when it hit her, she felt fangs growing and fire began to build inside of her.

"Sango!"

_Don't worry, Lady Kagome. I will make sure that my dear Sango enjoys the after life, _Miroku's voice said before another orb left _his _body. It too flew into her, and suddenly, she felt as though her body would withstand the miasma that was slowly creeping toward her.

Yet another blue orb flew at her, this one from Koga's corpse.

_Kill Naraku_, Koga's voice said before fading. She stood frozen as her leg muscles increased in tone and grew more muscular. They looked like Ayame's, only tanner. Power poured through her entire body from her new legs and she began to draw another arrow to fire at the kurohanyo.

"What's wrong, Kagome? I thought you didn't like the wolf," Naraku mocked. His answer was a massive burst of holy power surging toward him. He reacted quickly enough to dodge it, but just barely.

"Something the matter?"

Kagome looked at friends' bodies and power strong enough to turn the ground to smoke rose from her as her eyes shifted color from red to a dark, angry silver.

"I'm going to kill you! Today, your evil is going to end, _Naraku_!"

Everyone near him dove away as she released a massive burst of qi so strong that the ground was torn into a massive fissure as it passed. Naraku barely evaded, and he snarled at her as her entire body began to glow with her hatred. A dark, black aura striped with gold, red and blue engulfed her body as she started walking toward him.

"Sesshomaru, Inuyasha, I suggest you stay back!"

The two watched with wide eyes as she suddenly vanished. She appeared in front of Naraku, her strong new legs already swinging. A purifying aura wrapped around her leg as it came closer to him, and he got away with only _half _of his body turned to ash.

She drew an arrow and launched it, just barely missing the now-running kurohanyo.

"My my. Aggressive today, aren't we?"

"You killed my friends. I swear to every god in existence that I'll make sure you die! Their souls won't rest until you are!"

He suddenly sprouted wings and launched into the air. Just as she was about to follow, the ground beneath her gave way and she was falling down into a pit of spiky tentacles.

"Damnit!"

She pulled out another arrow and began to fire when they shot up and wrapped around her body, nearly crushing her. As it happened, they were dragging her downward, in a way that told her she would suffocate to death.

That knowledge made her snap the arrow in her hand. As the wooden dust fell, she released her qi and the dust ignited, destroying the tentacles. And then, she kicked off of them and was out of the pit, panting heavily.

"Wind Scar!"

The yellow energy launched through the clearing toward the once-again-standing kurohanyo, who simply smirked. With a wave of his hand, the attack vanished. And then, it formed again, going the opposite way. The only one close and fast enough to react was Kikyo, and she took the entire force of the Wind Scar to save him. Her barrier lessened the impact, but not by enough to save her.

Kagome ran over to her and knelt down.

"Kikyo! Hang on! Don't die, Kikyo! You wanted to settle which one of us was better, didn't you? You can't do that if you're really dead!"

Kikyo looked up at the frantic miko and smiled softly.

"It would seem that was already decided, wasn't it? As my last act on this earth, I release that which seals your true nature," she said before her eyes dimmed and her body ignited.

Suddenly, a massive blue orb left her body and flew into her. The second _that _soul filled Kagome, her entire aura exploded with power.

"Inuyasha, I'm so sorry," she sobbed as the hanyo fell to his knees.

Now there were very few allies left, and their attack suddenly seemed a lot less impressive. A heart-broken hanyo, a pathetic, weak miko who couldn't save a single one of her second family, a wind sorceress that was slowly draining her energy trying to destroy the attacking demons, and an inu taiyoukai with only one arm, though he was the most formidable of the whole lot of them.

"Wow, your numbers dwindled rather quickly, didn't they, Kagome!?" Naraku barked out before laughing hysterically. "This is such a pathetic waste of my time!"

"Dance of the Dragon!"

Massive, swirling tornadoes of youki flew through the air, ripping apart Naraku's upper body.

"Ah, Kagura, you disappoint me."

The sorceress's eyes widened as she was stabbed in every angle from below by more tentacles. Blood rolled down her chin as they receded. She glared at the kurohanyo and threw her fan. A massive updraft caught the fan and it was flung across the entire field, right into Kagome's hand.

_I died free, thanks to you miko… No, _Kagome,_… take care,_ her voice said before her body exploded into feathers. Tears fell even harder from the miko as the small orb left where she'd been standing and entered her body. Knowledge of wind sorcery filled her memory and her entire being seemed to be on the brink of bursting from the power filling her.

"Kagome, we should retreat," Inuyasha snarled, his fury and absolute hatred focused on Naraku. "We won't survive this if we don't, and he won't be dead regardless…"

"Foolish brother. You would turn and run at this point?" Sesshomaru asked as youki engulfed the blade in his hand.

"It's not looking like there's a choice here."

"Yes there is," Kagome said as she slowly rose.

With a hand outstretched, youki flared outward.

"Naraku, you thought that I wasn't a bad enemy to have? Here's an attack from my friends!"

Suddenly, Hiraikotsu was lifted into the air and she caught it with ease. Energy began wrapping around it as she spun the massive boomerang over her head. A small tornado began to form around her, and his eyes narrowed in caution.

And then, the air around her ignited and she was surrounded by a massive, flaming vortex.

"Dance of Chaos!"

She released the boomerang and the kurohanyo was completely helpless to avoid the fast-moving vortex of fire and youki. Just before it reached him, Kagome felt the jewel shards vanish and she cursed as his body was replaced with a puppet.

She caught the flaming boomerang on its return and she snarled in the direction of the shards.

"Inuyasha, Sesshomaru, I'm going to have to ask you to get the children and get away from here, because one way or the other, I'm going to make sure he doesn't live after today. And I'm more than positive whatever I do to him may kill you both," she said without turning around. Evidently, Kikyo, Kagura, and Koga had transferred their demonic feelings of wrath onto her, because this level of pure hate was beyond her. And, at that moment, she really didn't care.

"Getting rather cocky, aren't you, Kagome? Getting powerful is one thing, but to beat me single-handed is a stretch. Even Koga and _Kikyo _fell to me!"

She sensed a movement to her side and slammed the boomerang down, crushing the oncoming tentacles.

"Miko, do you really believe that this Sesshomaru will turn tail and leave simply because a little girl told him to?"

Before she could respond, even _more _tentacles rose. This time, however, they were completely surrounding the entire field like a mouth. That's when horror kicked in. They weren't _fighting _Naraku, they were _above _Naraku.

"Sesshomaru, Inuyasha, go!" she yelled before taking off toward the children. Apparently, her realization came to them, too, because they took off after her. They reached the children just as a massive number of tentacles, now recognized as fangs, began to close in around them. Sesshomaru and Kagome took off at amazing speeds, and reached the children just in time. They easily destroyed the attacking fangs, but three rose for every one they destroyed.

Kagome became distracted as five spikes simultaneously launched at the kit, who was frozen in terror. She jumped toward him when suddenly a flash of red passed her and she fell to her knees, gaping in horror.

Shippo landed in front of her, along with Kohaku and Rin, as Inuyasha was pierced through the heart by the spikes.

"No… No no no no no no no!"

Kagome stared at Inuyasha as the spikes left, hoping it was only a minor scratch or something he would smirk and mock her for worrying about. Instead, she was met with half of his upper body being torn apart.

"INUYASHA!"

Kagome watched as a cocky smirk formed on his face and he crawled toward her.

"Goodbye, Kagome."

"NO!"

Power flooded outward from every fiber of her being as she attempted to heal the man she loved. Apparently, that wasn't enough, because his wounds still didn't heal.

She felt a large part of herself die as his life vanished.

_Kagome… I will always love you. Take care of the brat. And make sure to take care of my sword for me, okay?_

Her vision blurred from the tears that rolled down her face and her entire being screamed bloody murder for it to be a lie.

And then, his soul hit her and she was immediately filled with memories. Memories of the two of them, from the time they met until now, sped up about ten thousand times. She felt the love he'd felt for her, and the regret that had filled him seconds ago at having not told her before. And then, images of his claw and youki attacks and the sensations of using the Tetsusaiga filled her, and she somehow knew that if she tried them, they would now work for her.

"I love you, Inuyasha," she cried, her body shaking with her sobs. Long, slender claws grew over her nails and her ears lengthened to look elf-like.

And then, her absolute sorrow turned to another emotion; hate. Humans were never meant to feel the kind of absolute, soul-blackening, immovable hatred that was filling her at that moment. Every bit of her intellect had quieted down for her hatred to take full control.

She rose, and with her came Tetsusaiga.

She met Sesshomaru's gaze and he saw the emotions running through her.

And then, she gaped as he jumped into a pit in the ground. After five seconds, massive power was released into the air and she felt that Naraku had been wounded. Unfortunately, Sesshomaru leapt back out panting with a large gash on his chest moments later.

"Miko, can you rid me of this miasma?" he asked, glaring down at the purple smoke coming from his chest.

She put her hand over the wound and all of the poison slowly purified, and Kagome pulled back.

"Foolish Sesshomaru! To think you were once so smart, too!" Naraku's voice bellowed throughout the entire clearing.

"Sesshomaru, if we attack together, we can win," she said to the inu taiyoukai, fully expecting a complaint.

"I believe you are right."

Without another word, the two jumped down, and were faced with a massive, bleeding body with a spiderweb of billions of fangs extending outward. Naraku's face smiled evilly at them.

"Why, hello there. Surprised it took you this long, Kagome."

Sesshomaru wordlessly swung Tokijin and Kagome unleashed all of her friends' qi. The ground above and below them shook as a blinding flash of golden light launched at Naraku. This time, when the scream of agony came, Kagome knew it was real since she felt the jewel shards here.

Just before Naraku died, he made one last, fatal attack at Kagome. It missed due to the pain-induced blindness and instead pierced Sesshomaru's forehead.

Kagome picked up the jewel shards and carried Sesshomaru's corpse aboveground.

_Miko, you have done well. I ask of you to keep watch over my father's fang as well as my daughter._

Kagome's teary eyes took in the warzone around her, and she practically screamed. In less than one hour, _every single one of her friends had died. _Her sister, her perverted older brother, her love, and her closest friends had all been killed as though their lives were meaningless. She sat there, in the bloody and destroyed field for hours before the three children, _her _three children now, came up to her with shaking forms.

Without a word, she wrapped all three of them in a tight hug and they cried together for hours.

"Momma," Shippo started, "please don't leave me!"

After trying uselessly to comfort the two other orphans, she took all three, as well as her friends' momentos, and without a word vanished silently through the well…

**End of Flashback**

Kagome was sobbing by the time she finished her recount, and she noted that Hiei was deathly still.

"I couldn't save a single one of the people who I'd come to regard as an extension of my own family. I was totally useless! And when I got back, I was in a near-suicidal depression for six months. The reason I didn't kill myself was my children, my _friends' _children. I wasn't going to leave them… You wanted to know why I'm as 'psychotic' as I am? There's your reason."

"I've honestly never heard a story that depressing, onna."

"Really? That's really something when I can make a demon depressed, isn't it? But you're the one that wanted to know."

"You're a very interesting miko, onna. And I suspect you didn't tell me the entire story, so I'm looking forward to seeing what other powers you have with my own eyes."

As they stood up, Kagome's self-pity-induced tears dried up and she smirked.

"And I'm looking forward to finding out what's under those bandages," she said before the barrier vanished and they took off for the hotel.

A/N:

Let me be the first to tell anyone who has read the manga that I know I'm wrong. To have Inuyasha using the Meidou Zangetsuha and yet give Kagome the Tenseiga and have Sesshomaru use Tokijin would be chronologically impossible, but let's just assume that this is an alternate world where the Meidou was obtained a way other than destroying Tenseiga.

Also, sorry for this bloodbath of a fight, but I _really _wanted to give a reason for Kagome to be screwed up mentally, and I believe this would accomplish that for _anyone_.

That being said, I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it, and be sure to rate!


	5. Round Two

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, YuYu Hakusho (As much as I'd love to) or any of the anime/manga characters.

Round Two

The rest of the day went uneventfully, and Kagome was awakened the next morning by the feeling of being stared at.

"Hey, you awake yet?" asked Yusuke near her bed. She sat up and nodded.

"Good. The second round's starting in an hour, and we were wondering whether you wanted to be woken up to see the competition or not."

"When's our match?" she asked groggily.

"We're the next-to last match of the day."

"Yeah, I'll come," she sighed before standing up and vanishing.

Yusuke gently sat down on Keiko's bed, making sure not to wake her while Kagome changed. He softly brushed her hair away, but it was apparently not soft enough, because she stirred.

"Yusuke?" she mumbled sleepily.

"Hey, Keiko," he whispered. "Good morning."

"If you slept in here with me, it would be."

Yusuke smirked and passionately kissed her, waking her up immediately.

"Sorry, can't do it. I need to have some sleep, and that is _definitely _not sleep," he said with a smirk. She blushed and looked down at the bed, causing him to chuckle.

"Besides, wouldn't want to piss her off," he said, referring to Kagome, who he hadn't realized was able to hear them.

"I guess… You know, she used to be such a timid, friendly girl… I wonder what happened to her…"

Yusuke shrugged and gently kissed her again before standing up.

"Somebody should find out. Do you want to come?"

"Sure," she said before getting up. She quickly changed, not caring about being naked in front of her husband. When she was done, Kagome also emerged, as though she'd known what was happening and didn't want to embarrass anyone.

She reappeared with her armor on, but hidden by a dark black dress that went to her ankles. The armor was form-fitting enough that Yusuke didn't know it was there.

"Some clothes for fighting," he smirked.

"I can handle it," she sighed before vacating the room.

"Morning, Kagome," Kuwabara said with a bright smile.

"Hello. Does anyone know who we're fighting against?"

"Us, little love," said a voice nearby. She turned to find Chu, Rinku, and three other tall men staring at her.

"You're our opponents?" Yusuke asked. "Alright! That means we can have a rematch with that knife fight!"

Chu smirked.

"Actually, I was thinking I'd go up against the little love here, this time 'round," he stated, eyeing her creepily.

"So we're deciding who fights whom already, then?" Kurama asked.

"Yes indeedy," said a man with bright red hair and a horn. "I want another shot at Urameshi," he added, smiling at the detective.

"You're on," he replied with a grin.

"Then I'll take Kuwabara," said a man with blue hair. Kuwabara immediately began to sweat, but he smirked.

"Yeah, sounds like fun," he said with a nervous laugh.

"And of course Hiei and I will be fighting," the small man with blue hair stated, earning an arrogant smirk from the fire apparition.

"Of course."

"Well, that makes us opponents, I believe, Rinku," Kurama said to the boy, who smirked.

"Don't think I'm gonna' go easy on you just because you helped train me!"

Apparently, everybody knew everybody else, except Kagome. She quietly vanished while they all talked, and she found herself in the stadium before she could think.

The crowd was cheering loudly as a tall bird demon dropped from the sky and decapitated her opponent in one swift grab.

Though, considering the difference between the two demons' youki, a quick and brutal attack was really the only option.

The bird landed and the match's winner was announced. Kagome felt a familiar strong aura coming near her and she smirked.

"Hey there," said a short half-demon with long, flowing white hair that stopped next to where she was now leaning; a rail in the audience stands.

"Imagine meeting you here," she said with a smirk.

"Odd, isn't it?"

"It definitely is. I thought that you'd be dead by now."

"I've survived long enough. I'm not as scared as I was back then, thanks to Inuyasha. Speaking of which, where is he?"

"He died a while back," she sighed.

"That's horrible. I liked him. He really saved me back then," the woman said sadly.

"Yeah… So, why are you here?"

"Oh! The planners of the tournament heard about my barrier powers and wanted me to keep the island safe from any wandering human eyes. How about yourself?"

"You know, the power you gave him really helped Inuyasha, Shiori(1)," Kagome said suddenly.

"I'm glad. I lived rather happily with my mother for a long time because of his actions."

Both women looked at the ground and Kagome smiled sadly.

"So, do you happen to know of any strong youkai in the tournament?"

"There are a lot, actually… And there are a few that I'm really scared of," she admitted, staring at the ring, where a new fight started.

"Wow, they must be pretty tough, considering the barriers you can make, to scare _you_," Kagome mumbled in amazement. She suddenly felt her teammates' auras and she sighed.

"Hey, Kagome! What the hell was the hurry?" Yusuke barked.

"I got bored with all the talking so I came to see if there was anyone to scare me."

"And?"

"Not yet," she sighed. "Oh, guys, this is my friend Shiori," she said, motioning to the gaping hanyo.

"You're Yusuke Urameshi," she said with awe in her voice.

"Yeah, that's me," he said with a smirk.

"Well, anyway, it was good seeing you again, Kagome. Maybe we should catch up later," she said before turning and vanishing into a crowd.

"That girl was a hanyo. And an old one. One of your acquaintances from the past?" Kurama pondered.

"She helped my group, and we in turn helped her. She was a really nice kid."

She turned her attention to the ring when she felt ten strong auras there. She was suddenly excited. Since she'd returned, Kagome enjoyed using her powers to see how far she could push herself. The physical punishment, she thought, was a slight homage to those who had given her their very souls in the end, instead of passing on to continue the reincarnation cycle.

"Oh, looky! It's a little human bitch!" yelled two large demons nearby.

Despite her power, if Kagome didn't want someone to know what her powers were, they _didn't_. It was that simple, and the demons sauntering over to her were obviously affected by the illusion.

"Oh, who, me?" she asked, holding down the laughter. "I'm not a bitch."

"Shut up, bitch!" yelled one of the demons. "Women were made to serve men! They shouldn't speak when not directed to!"

One of the demons swung a claw at her, and the team tensed. But they weren't tensed because of the attacking demon, but rather their teammate, who was obviously in a playful mood right now.

Nobody on the team knew what the extent of her powers was, but not a single one wanted to find out from this close range. They began backing up when suddenly, the demon's claw stopped mid-motion.

"Bad little youkai," she whispered darkly as her hand wrapped around his wrist. The swinging motion completely stopped, and she smirked.

"What!? A little human bitch has the audacity to touch a being such as myself!? Do you have _any _idea who I am?" he asked as flames began to build around her.

"Oooh! Impressive trick," she mocked. "Here's something _really _impressive," she said before moving.

When she was done moving, he had his claw pressed to the very point of ripping his own throat out from behind while she knocked his legs out from under him and was holding him down on his knees.

"You shouldn't judge people by how they look," she said before releasing him to fall face-first into the ground.

After that excitement was over and the demons in the entire audience knew she was someone you shouldn't screw with, Kagome got to watching the match. Unfortunately, the first match was already over, with the result being a draw as both demons had been rendered unconscious. The second match's fighters got up and Kagome became honestly impressed by the youki she sensed.

The demons were a large man with a spiked club half the size of his body and a just-as-large eagle youkai with massive talons that looked sharp enough to match the Tetsusaiga.

The battle started and youki filled the arena to a degree that brought a smile to Kagome's lips. All of these fights were going to be entertaining, it seemed.

The large man made the first move, throwing his club at the eagle youkai, who launched high into the air. The club flew back into his hand as she soared. As she got higher into the air, her talons began to shine with a thick armor of youki, and then she was dive-bombing.

As she approached the man, he jumped up and swung the club. The spikes along the large weapon flared with _his _youki, and they grew to be twice as long.

The eagle barrel-rolled to avoid the club and just barely nicked the demon before he also dodged.

For ten entire minutes, this little dance repeated, and then, Kagome smirked as she saw what the outcome would be.

As the eagle prepared a powerful attack, the man grabbed the club's handle with both of his hands and pulled, making the one massive weapon into two almost-as big weapons. The arena filled with energy as the two prepared the obvious final attacks.

The eagle launched herself and the man prepared to swing. It was over in a flash. The eagle watched for the man to swing, and at the last second, braked herself slightly with her wings. As he swung and made himself vulnerable, she shifted her wings and she tore into him. He fell to the ground, bleeding, but not dead.

Cheering filled the audience as 'Shurika' was announced the winner of the match.

The next fight was the same way, with the opponents being twins to the previous ones. This time, the other team won, by a split second since the man's twin had paid attention and not made the same mistake.

And so, the deciding fight started. The opponents were almost frightening in their intensity. To Kagome and the strong demons around who were appreciating it. Every other demon was cringing in fear at the two awesome forces in the ring.

It was with some pain that Kagome realized the opponents were a wolf and dog demon. Memories flooded back unfiltered, and tears started to form in her eyes before she reined her emotions in.

The wolf demon launched forward and the spot that he hit in the arena exploded when it made impact with where the dog demon had been.

The dog demon grew large claws and swiped at the wolf, he used his planted hand to somersault backward over him.

They chased each other around the arena for an entire hour, neither scoring a single hit on the other as they battled with their claws.

And then, the wolf demon swiped at the dog with his long leg and when he jumped up to avoid it, his claws shot out in rapid succession, throwing him out of the ring and into the wall surrounding it.

With a snarl, the brunette dog demon launched through the air, the wall collapsing as his support vanished. He swung viciously at the wolf, and long, poisonous claws stretched from his already-long nails. And then, they hit and the wolf yelped in pain as his arm started to melt.

When he was thoroughly distracted, the dog struck. The wolf was quickly down for the count with a punch to his chest.

The eagle demon's team was declared the winner, and Kagome was practically vibrating with excitement.

"You're psyched," Yusuke stated, staring at the ring.

"_That's _the kind of demon I want to fight," she stated simply.

"You have an interesting choice of enemy, Kagome," Kurama stated.

She shrugged as the next match began. Out of the next thirteen next matches, which took several hours, there were several very powerful demons, and then Kagome walked to the ring with her team leading the way.

"The fifteenth match of the second round, Team Urameshi versus Team Chaos, will now begin! Teams, pick your first fighters!" the cat youkai announcer called.

"I'll go first," Hiei said before stepping up. Immediately, the blue haired man also appeared.

"Oh! A rematch for the ages! Hiei versus Touya, begin!"

Touya, the blue haired boy, swung his fist in the air. Spears of ice launched at Hiei, who drew his sword.

Quickly, the spears were destroyed as Hiei rushed at Touya, who was now holding an ice sword.

The two began to duel across the ring, which was slowly being covered in ice.

Hiei's reactions slowed as he began to slip on the ice, but he didn't lose his footing in the fight by a long shot. The two were moving so quickly that it was hard for even Kagome to follow, but she watched in amazement as they swung at each other, both receiving painful, but not fatal, wounds all over their bodies. She was amazed that very few demons were killing each other in a tournament like this, so she asked Yusuke.

"Hey," she said while watching Hiei back flip out of Touya's attack with his sword and several spears of ice from the ring underneath them. "Yusuke, why aren't any demons killing each other?"

"Oh, that's because of me, I think," he said, smirking.

"_You_?"

"Well, yeah. I'll explain later," he said with a sigh as Hiei swung the sword half-way and used his blocking-motion to get under and slice at him.

Touya hit the ring painfully and Hiei smirked as the ice around them vanished.

"Well then, I guess I haven't trained quite enough," Touya said as he stood up, though shakily with blood around his feet.

"Winner, Hiei!"

The two left the stage and suddenly, the red-haired man jumped up to the stage.

"Let's get a-goin', Urameshi!" he yelled, swinging his arms in a wide circle. Yusuke stepped up and youki stronger than the others flared around them.

"Match two, _another _rematch of epic proportions! Yusuke Urameshi versus Jin, begin!"

Jin lifted into the air, several feet from the ring, and he smirked.

"Let's go, Urameshi! And don't be holdin' back, none, neither," he said as youki began to engulf his twisting arms in a Koga-esque tornado. Memories came once again to Kagome, though this time they were able to push through her barriers slightly more than the last ones.

Yusuke raised his hand and smirked as he pointed at him.

"Sounds great! Spirit Gun!"

A ball of blue energy burst forth from his finger, launching at Jin. Jin jumped into the air and was held aloft by his wind.

"Tornado Fist!"

He yelled as he dove down, the tornado around his arm picking up in speed.

Kagome watched in awe as the two battled, their youki, and some spirit energy on Yusuke's part, filling the ring.

Apparently, her initial reading on their energies was off. She'd pegged them with having high A-Class demonic energy, but these two ranked higher than some of the high S-Classes she'd fought in the past.

Yusuke dove away from Jin's attack and released a massive spray of spirit gun attacks, something he called 'shotgun.'

Kagome became more and more impressed as the two battled; their bodies slowly became filled riddled with bloody wounds.

"Wow, Urameshi! This is better than the last time, I say," the red-haired man said with a pleased smile. "What say we finish this up, eh?"

"Sounds good," Yusuke said with a smirk. Spirit energy surrounded his body as Jin began to swing both his arms into a youki-tornado.

Kagome took a well-balanced defensive stance while his hands made a small circle of air to his side.

"Double Tornado Fist!"

"Spirit Wave!"

The two launched their attacks and, just before Yusuke's massive attack, Jin lifted high into the air and dodged. And then, he continued his attack, and Yusuke was thrown into the ring with so much force that it practically exploded around him.

After five seconds, the announcer clapped.

"A stunning re-match with an even _more _stunning conclusion! The winner of the second match is Jin!" she announced loudly to a loud echo of cheers from the audience.

"Okay, everyone! Teams, pick your next fighters!"

"I believe Yusuke may need some assistance," Kurama said, noticing that Yusuke was almost unconscious.

"Hey, Urameshi, that was a great fight!" Jin yelled before vanishing, a triumphant smirk on his face. Kurama gently lifted him from his crater and walked to the edge of the ring, handing him to Kuwabara.

"Alright, Kurama! Let's go," Rinku called as he lifted his yo-yos. "I'm not going to hold back, either!"

Kurama turned to his opponent and the spiked whip sprang from the rose in his hand.

"Third match, Youko Kurama versus Rinku, begin!"

Rinku swung the yo-yos and they shot through the air toward Kurama, who took off with demonic speed.

"Rose Whip!"

The whip launched through the air and smacked away the blade-like yo-yos.

Kagome watched with interest as the two used their youki-controlled weapons. She was impressed as Rinku controlled the toys in his hand like very flexible blades, while Kurama used the extended rose to bat it away.

Unfortunately, just like the other two fights, this didn't last nearly long enough for Kagome to gauge their powers. Suddenly, Kurama wrapped the yo-yos in his whip and a plant grew instantaneously, quickly batting Rinku to the point of unconsciousness while several bleeding cuts healed on Kurama's body.

"Winner, Kurama!" the announcer yelled. There was a chorus of 'boos' and Kagome sighed. The crowd obviously didn't like her teammates, if their reactions so far were any indication.

She quickly figured out the number of fights she would be in, assuming her team made it to the finals. With one down, this would make the second out of six. With her vast array of powers, she was quickly making up her mind on which powers would be safe to reveal. Not many, this early in the tournament, she decided as she remembered her training with Genkai to hide her powers.

Thinking of Genkai made the decision of her weapons this round simple.

"Next fighters, take your places!" the announcer bellowed through the mic.

"You want to go, Kagome?" Kuwabara asked, eyeing the man that was staring at him.

"No way!" he yelled. "You're up, Kuwabara!" he said as he jumped up to the ring, making Kuwabara sweat.

"I _really _don't want to fight this guy," he mumbled before jumping up. "Hey, no using that cape, got it!?"

Shishiwakamaru smirked as though this was extremely amusing.

"Don't worry, I'll beat you all on my own this time."

"Alright! Fourth match, Shishiwakamaru versus Kuwabara, begin!"

A chorus of 'kill the human' was heard throughout the entire arena, and Kuwabara sighed.

A sword formed in the blue-haired demon's hand, and Kuwabara instantly formed his own.

Kagome felt really bad for Kuwabara, already seeing the result of the battle.

"Banshee Shriek!" Shishiwakamaru yelled before pulling the handle. It split apart and a grotesque strain of bloody, scary-looking heads formed between the parts of the handle, and Kagome sensed the dangerous power inside.

"Spirit Sword!" Kuwabara yelled, launching at him.

The imp sighed and began to swing the blade in a circle over her head. A high-pitched shrieking formed in the air, and Kagome, along with dozens of other demons, cringed while covering their ears. Kagome watched in awe as several demons simply died, and thousands of the heads from his handle shot through the arena, devouring demons left and right.

Keiko screamed and Kagome was at her side, letting her aura protect her teammates.

"Don't worry. They won't get near you. Just don't look," she whispered comfortingly.

Keiko closed her eyes tight while the demons that came near Kagome's barrier were turned to ash. She watched as the energy began to swirl around Shishiwakamaru's sword, and he smirked.

"Chorus of 1000 Screams!" he yelled, swinging the blade.

Kuwabara blocked most of the attack with his spirit sword, but the rest bombarded his body and sent him flying to the edge of the ring.

Shishiwakamaru swung again and more heads launched forward as Kuwabara crushed his spirit sword.

"Spirit Sword Shards!" he yelled.

For every skull that launched at him, two versions of the spirit sword also launched. Shishiwakamaru dove high into the air to avoid all of the dangerous energy, and shot down with the Banshee Shriek howling in the air.

His sword broke through the weakened Spirit Sword and Kuwabara, just as Kagome had predicted, lost consciousness along with the match. The screaming skulls around the arena vanished and Shishiwakamaru pushed the hilt back together with a smirk before lightly knocking Kuwabara out of the arena.

"Well that was a good work-out," he mumbled when his eyes suddenly fell on Kagome. "And just who are you?"

Kagome let the barrier around her fall and smirked at him.

"Not someone that's impressed," she said offhandedly.

"Oh, really!?" he asked, pointing the sword threateningly as Kagome moved Keiko out of the way.

The announcer pronounced Shishiwakamaru the winner somewhere in the background, but the two were focused on each other.

"Just who the hell are you, woman!?" he yelled, frustrated that he didn't scare this human.

Without warning, she jumped up to the stage inches from him.

"Mind leaving? My fight's about to start," she said quietly. He snarled and without warning swung the blade at her. Everyone gasped when not only did the blade not hit her, but she actually _caught _the long sword in her bare hand.

"That's so annoying," she sighed before planting her feet and throwing. He barreled through the air and into the ground outside of the ring while Chu and Rinku laughed hysterically.

"Oh, this is gonna' be fun, I think," Chu said, jumping into the ring and taking a long gulp of the vodka bottle in his hand.

"Hey, you sure you should be drinking?" Kagome asked. "If you're stumbling around drunk, this might be over too quickly," she stated, eyeing his swaying form.

"Oh, relax, little love! This'll be fun!"

"My name's Kagome, so use it," she huffed.

Chu laughed before dropping the bottle outside of the ring.

"I like you, Kagome! Let's have a good fight, ay?"

"Sounds good," Kagome said, watching him sway more violently every time he spoke.

"The final match! The new girl to Team Urameshi, Kagome, versus Chu, the former leader of Team Rokuyukai! Will there be an upset? Or will the death match show up again in this year's tournament!? Well, let's find out! Final match, begin!" she called over a _very _loud chorus of cheers and a painful wave of bloodlust in the air.

"Okay, what's say we get started, Kagome?" Chu asked, his words slurred.

"Sounds good," she said as she slowly let her youki out. She didn't know what kind of power Chu had, but she knew it would be bad to get cocky with _this _opponent.

"Okay, you get the first move," she said, watching as his entire posture changed. Despite his swaying and running at her almost staggering, Kagome knew there was something dangerous about him.

"Alright, Kagome," he said as he charged at her completely off-balance. She jumped high into the air and used a burst of wind under herself to land at the end of the ring.

"Oh! You're a spry little thing, aintcha?" he asked before stumbling and turning back to face her.

"I hope you don't mind if I get a little excited fighting with ten percent of my power," she said, smiling sweetly.

"Ten percent, eh? Well doesn't that just sound like that Toguro bloke? You sure you want to hold back so much, love?" he asked between hiccups.

"Oh, I've only ever had to use more than fifty, if it's any consolation," she said while youki began to surge around her.

"Oh? Well then, I guess I'll have to make this the second time, eh?"

Kagome felt her power build and she noticed her teammates, including Keiko, Yusuke and Kuwabara, staring at her intently.

"Well then, I better release some power, eh?"

Youki flowed from Chu's body and Kagome watched in awe as a massive coating of purple energy formed around her.

"Let's get this party started!"

Chu began to stumble drunkenly toward her and she took a defensive stance.

And then, he reached her and began swinging his limbs at her.

She quickly dodged the strikes, sensing the power in their attacks.

"Oh, you're fast!"

Kagome caught his next punch and spun, kicking at his ribs. He blocked with a raised knee, and then he staggered away. Using her slight distraction, he swung another powerful fist towards her face and she ducked underneath before sending her own fist.

And so it went for over half an hour, exchanging blows while circling around the ring. Finally, Chu hit her square in the jaw and she fell to the floor backward.

"Oh, that was a mighty nice try of dodging that one!"

Kagome smirked up at him before putting her hand on the ground and pushing up, flipping to her feet.

"Oh ho! Well, what's say you show me some of your real power? Not that I don't enjoy a good, long fight or anything, but I think the crowd's getting impatient."

"I'd rather save my power until the finals."

"Come on, Kagome! Show me what you've got!" he bellowed, his volume increased by his drunkenness.

"Alright, then. I'll show you something exciting."

Kagome closed her eyes and began to mumble the chant she'd learned. Power began to wrap around her.

"Genkai taught me a lot, you know," she said. "I had a lot of free time, so she taught me a very cool little trick."

"Oh? It's about time we stopped the warm-up and got to the real thing!"

"Meiin, metsuju, ressai, kohaku, kyo, chojin, komei, eikyaku, ko, jo, sai(2)!" she yelled as power engulfed her hand.

Yusuke gaped as a very familiar blue light filled the entire arena, permeating from the small girl's now-glowing body.

"You want to see some of my power? Then how about I show you my _spirit wave_!"

Chu's eyes widened as the girl spread her hands and a mass of spirit energy left her, blasting toward him. Chu's eyes narrowed and he dropped the act of a drunken idiot.

"Sui Ken!" he yelled, throwing a massive ball of yellow energy at the attack. When they met, the spirit wave cut right through, but it slowed it down enough to dive away.

The wave continued through and dissolved before hitting the audience. Chu watched the girl with awe as her dress exploded to reveal form-fitting armor.

"Well, that's mighty surprising! You're tellin' me you got _more _tricks?"

"I don't like to show off," she said with a shrug. "But you understand that now that I've used it, I have to hold back less, right?"

"Show me what ya' got!"

Kagome straightened and her youki raged to life.

Everyone, even Hiei and Chu, took involuntary steps back as her released power rose to 25%. The power around her began to gain its own black sheen and several demons were drained completely just breathing in the air around the arena.

"I was hoping to not show too much until the finals so I had a bunch of surprises, but I guess that won't work," she grumbled.

"Let's go!"

Kagome reached into her armor and everyone was surprised when she pulled out a small fan, which she flipped open. The ornate design surprised Chu.

"That's a little girly, isn't it? I mean, really? A _fan_?"

"It's a medium. Just watch and you'll understand," she said before she lifted it.

Youki began to flow through the fan and she took a neutral stance.

"Dance of Blades!"

She swung the blade and Chu had to push most of his youki into his legs to react fast enough to dodge the massive scythes of youki.

Kagome launched through the air and a ball of energy formed in her hand.

She unleashed the energy at Chu and used her control over wind to spread it into a circle around him.

"Dance of Submersion!" she yelled while swinging her fan. The energy lit on fire and shot into Chu, who was smashed into the ground.

Slowly, the energy choked him until he was on the brink of unconsciousness.

She closed her fan and he was thrown out of the arena by a gust of wind. He hit the ground with a soft thud, lessened by a cushion of air she created.

"I don't think he'll be back up in time," he said to the announcer, who counted to five.

"And the winner of the final fight is Kagome, making Team Urameshi move on to round three!" she yelled over a chorus of boos.

Kagome smiled at Chu as he got up and looked around with confusion.

"That was a great fight! Let's go again some time," she called, making him laugh.

"You're one hell of a strong sheila! You might give Urameshi a run for his money! Make sure that you live to fight me again!" he yelled cheerfully, making Kagome smile as she vacated the ring.

Suddenly, her eyes flew wide open and everyone watching was surprised as an aura of raw hatred flowed from the previously playful demon.

"Well well, as energetic as ever, I see," said a deep male voice. Kagome's teammates were surprised when her entire body began to tense in a way that the strong demon she'd just _beaten _hadn't brought out.

"You're dead," she said to the tall, dark-haired man that was in the entrance to the arena matter-of-factly.

"Evidently not."

"I destroyed you!" she screamed, her energy starting to reveal itself honestly. For a split second, everyone felt a fraction of the power she really had, and nobody was able to hold themselves from shivering.

"Ah, dear Kagome, you seem to be mistaken as I'm standing in front of you right now."

Kagome's eyes bled red, and the man smirked.

"Naraku," she hissed. Instantly, she was being held back by Hiei. Her lunge was stopped short and Kagome fell to her knees, snarling.

"It would be bad to do that, onna," he whispered as Naraku looked at her with amusement clear in his eyes.

"New friend, Kagome?"

Kagome pushed him away and stood up, glaring death at Naraku.

"I don't know how you're alive, but I'm going to make sure I fix it."

"Oh? You'll have to wait until our teams fight, I'm afraid," he said darkly.

Every muscle in Kagome was tensed and obviously ready to attack whoever the man was, so her teammates quickly disappeared with her in tow. They only stopped when they were safely in their hotel room…

A/N:

(1)- Shiori is the bat-human hanyo that gave Inuyasha the ability to use the Red Tetsusaiga.

(2)Yes, this _is_ the chant for the spirit wave Genkai used during the Dark Tournament.

I know I shortened all of the fight scenes, but this fanfic is mostly about Kagome, and I _really _wanted to go into detail with the Chu vs. Kagome fight. Make sure to tell me how it went over with you, the readers, and how the story so far is also going over. I love hearing some constructive criticism and look forward to hearing what people think of my work.


	6. Return

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, YuYu Hakusho (As much as I'd love to) or any of the anime/manga characters.

Return

"You're one hell of a strong sheila! You might give Urameshi a run for his money! Make sure that you live to fight me again!" Chu yelled cheerfully, making Kagome smile as she vacated the ring.

Suddenly, her eyes flew wide open and everyone watching was surprised as an aura of raw hatred flowed from the previously playful demon.

"Well well, as energetic as ever, I see," said a deep male voice. Kagome's teammates were surprised when her entire body began to tense in a way that the strong demon she'd just _beaten _hadn't brought out.

"You're dead," she said to the tall, dark-haired man that was in the entrance to the arena.

"Evidently not."

"I destroyed you!" she screamed, her energy starting to reveal itself honestly. For a split second, everyone felt a fraction of the power she really had, and nobody was able to hold themselves from shivering.

"Ah, dear Kagome, you seem to be mistaken as I'm standing in front of you right now."

Kagome's eyes bled red, and the man smirked.

"Naraku," she hissed. Instantly, she was being held back by Hiei. Her lunge was stopped short and Kagome fell to her knees, snarling.

"It would be bad to do that, onna," he whispered as Naraku looked at her with amusement clear in his eyes.

"New friend, Kagome?"

Kagome pushed him away and stood up, glaring death at Naraku.

"I don't know how you're alive, but I'm going to make sure I fix it."

"Oh? You'll have to wait until our teams fight, I'm afraid," he said darkly.

Every muscle in Kagome was tensed and obviously ready to attack whoever the man was, so her teammates quickly disappeared with her in tow. They only stopped when they were safely in their hotel room…

"Okay! Who the _hell _was that!?" Yusuke barked at the shaking demon. She looked like she wanted to throw up, so he didn't argue when she ran into the bathroom. She forgot, however, to close the door behind her, so everyone present was able to see her retch on her hands and knees while her body shook violently.

"That bastard!" she choked out to herself. Suddenly, she stood up and turned.

"Yusuke, I need to go to Genkai's temple. Now."

"Fine, but not before you tell us what's going on," he said while pulling out his communicator.

"Open the portal, fool," Hiei said. "She won't hesitate to take that from you for whatever it is she needs."

"What the hell are you talking-"

A sudden gust of wind filled the room and the mirror in Yusuke's hand was ripped from his hand. It flew right into her hand, and she flipped it open.

"Botan here!" said a cheery, blue-haired girl. "Oh, hi, Kagome!"

"Hey, Botan. I need a portal to Genkai's."

"Sure thing!"

A swirling vortex opened and Kagome vanished.

As Kagome stepped onto Genkai's grounds, she sensed rapidly approaching youki.

"Momma!"

She caught Shippo with a smile, refusing to let him be worried.

"Hi, Shippo! Can you tell me where you hid Tetsusaiga for me?"

"Oh! Genkai has it! I thought she could safekeep it better than anyone!" he said cheerfully. "Those demons must really be something if you need Tetsusaiga!"

Kagome smirked as she walked into the temple and toward Genkai's energy.

"They are, Shippo. I'm getting to have some fun," she said. It was true, up until very recent events. "Master Genkai, I need my swords," she said when she reached the woman, who was doing vertical pushups(1).

"What for? I thought I taught you to hold back," she said as she let her legs drop and stood up.

Kagome began to answer her for Shippo's benefit while telepathically answering her truthfully. While she told her that the demons were stronger than she anticipated, she showed her Naraku's return.

"I see… Well then, here you go," she said before hitting a spot on the ground in front of her. A burst of power filled the air and suddenly, two swords formed before her.

Kagome quickly caught them just as a surge of power formed and she sighed.

"I'll just get going, then," she started before she felt Yusuke's power coming toward them.

"Kagome, where the hell are ya'!?"

Kagome didn't miss the hidden smirk on Genkai's face, and she frowned.

"In here, Yusuke."

In seconds, he was in the small room, along with Hiei and Kurama.

"Okay, what the hell's going on!? Who was that guy!?"

"It doesn't matter right now," she said with a pointed glance at Shippo. "I'm on top of it."

"On top of it!? He had you shaking when _Chu _didn't even bother you!"

"I said I'm on top of it," she ground out.

She turned to Shippo with a bright smile again.

"Okay, honey. I need to get going, now. I'll see you later, sweetie," she said as she pulled him into a hug before standing. And then, she bowed to Genkai and was gone from the temple.

"Oi! Wait the hell up!" Yusuke yelled as he caught up to her. Hiei was watching her reactions closely, and was _very _wary of the swords at her side.

"Just open a portal back to the room," she said, angry beyond belief. "An explanation isn't important, because as soon as I get back, I'm going to kill him. Again."

Suddenly, there was a creeping sensation that filled Kagome and her eyes narrowed.

"You must really want to die," she ground out, looking behind a confused Yusuke. A dark chuckle had the detective spinning around to face the man they'd seen before.

"Ah, Kagome. So energetic and feisty, as always. You know, I was very surprised to find out that you're alive here. I mean, the miko who fought me so adamantly in the past is a schoolgirl from the future?"

Kagome growled, bringing a dark grin to his face.

"What's the matter, Kagome? Are you still mad because your family got the bad end of my return gift?"

Kagome snarled, then.

"_You_! You bastard!"

"Oh? But that's not the reaction I received killing those friends of yours. If I remember correctly, you broke down crying."

Kagome instantly was in front of him with her massive sword held to his throat.

"I'll fucking _kill _you!"

"That's more like it! Show me the rage!"

Kagome snarled when she realized something, a little too late.

"Damn you and your puppets!"

She quickly decapitated him and took off, her teammates following closely behind, though only Hiei could keep up.

"I don't know what you're planning, onna, but know that he has a plan."

"I know! He _always _has a plan! It's why I was glad that I'd killed him!"

"Evidently, you didn't do a good enough job."

"I know! I must've let a piece of him survive somehow."

"You know, it's rude to talk about others behind their backs," a man in a baboon suit said next to her.

Kagome didn't even stop as she cut her hand and released sickles of blood that shredded the puppet's body apart.

"Momma!"

Kagome pushed so much youki into her legs that she actually _teleported _away, leaving a wide-eyed Hiei to push himself to do the same.

He appeared to see the man holding Shippo off of the ground by his tail.

"Shippo!"

Naraku sneered and Kagome lifted Tetsusaiga.

"Naraku, let him down. _Now_!"

"But why, Kagome? If I did that, I wouldn't have any incentives."

"Incentives for what?" she spit out.

"I rather like the idea of fighting you again. So, I want you to stay in the Dark Tournament. You may have learned to feel nothing for anyone after my work, but this little kit should be enough to make you do as I wish."

Claws sprouted from Kagome's hand, and her team arrived just as her eyes and aura became completely coal-black.

"You want me to fight you? I don't need an incentive for that. So put Shippo down and I'll agree to your sadistic little game."

"Oh? What makes you think I trust you enough to just let my little shield go?"

"It's not about trust. There's another reason I can't quit the tournament, and killing you will be an excellent reward for me. And I can attack you right now, like that, without hurting anything but you. I've trained since last time, and I can still do damage to you even with Shippo in your hold. So put him down and _leave_," she growled. The air crackled with the demonic power surrounding her, and Naraku smirked.

"Very well. Catch," he said. Just as Kagome moved to catch Shippo, who Naraku had thrown high into the air toward the woods, he became engulfed in a barrier and vanished.

"Momma!" Shippo cried as she sheathed her blade and caught him at the same time.

Kagome held the shaking kit to her and gently patted his head in a very motherly manner.

"Momma! He's alive!"

"I know… I didn't want to worry you, Shippo. I'm so sorry… Genkai, can you raise a barrier powerful enough to keep him out?" she asked, knowing the psychic was listening.

Instantly, a dome of shimmering blue energy rose around the entire complex for as far as Kagome could see. The power inside would keep anything that Genkai didn't want near her inside.

She quickly walked back to the temple and put the now exhausted kit to bed.

"Good night, Shippo. I promise I won't let him hurt anyone else," she whispered to her kit before kissing his forehead and running outside.

"Okay! We're not going anywhere until _someone _explains to me what the hell is going on!" Yusuke yelled.

"It's not your concern," she said, glaring at him challengingly.

"Perhaps not, but it would most likely be a good idea to tell him what he's asking. Yusuke can be quite persistent," Kurama sighed,

Kagome glared at Yusuke, and they had a staring match for several minutes before he flinched.

"It's not your business. When we get to the finals, I'll tell you everything, but until then, I have no need to explain things to you other than the fact that his name is Naraku and he's a demon in more than the literal sense."

"That's not good enough!"

"Be quiet, dimwit," said an elderly voice, making him jump. "It's not your business, and I can tell you that trying to get her story like this will wind up with you dead."

"Like she could kill me!" he laughed. "I'm a mazoku! Some psychotic schoolgirl with youki won't be able to-"

He was abruptly silenced when she raised her hand and he was blasted into the ground by a gust of wind.

"I suggest you shut up, because whether you want me to explain myself to someone I don't know or not, it doesn't mean anything to me. You'd have to find a _very _persuasive reason to get me to explain it."

"How about, I'll kick your ass when I get up if you don't!?"

"I'd actually like to see that," she said, letting go of the wind holding him down. Instantly, he shot up, and she smirked.

"If you can hit me once in two minutes, I'll explain to you. If not, then I get to hit you once."

"You rather like these bets, don't you, onna?" Hiei mused.

"Hey, racing and fighting are different. I don't respond to threats very well."

Yusuke started running at her and she caught his fist without even moving her stance at all.

"You have to make sure that the hit counts, too. Counting hitting my arm when I block you won't be effective."

"Not a problem!"

"Hey, Kurama, don't interfere," she said when she saw the redhead lifting his rose. "He wants to know something that I have no intention of telling him, so he has to work for it."

"_Odd that you told me this without hesitation_," Hiei's voice said in her head. As Kagome dodged a kick to her head, she smirked.

_Telepathic, huh? The reason, if you must know, is that I don't like him. I have no problem with you._

"So tell me, Kagome, why the hell you're so afraid of me finding out what the deal is with that guy!? Old boyfriend?" he mocked. He was very surprised when he suddenly found himself smashed face-first into the ground.

"Not even close."

She pushed his arm in and he groaned as the bone creaked.

"By the way, it's been a minute."

Yusuke snarled and swung his other arm backward, making her jump back.

"You should probably aim for me. You tend to hit things better that way," she said as he blindly swung at her.

"Shut the hell up! You're so goddamn annoying!"

After a few more swings dodged, Kagome smirked.

"Ten seconds left. Better hurry."

Suddenly, Yusuke snarled and pointed at her.

"Spirit Gun!"

The attack was practically point blank, and it would _definitely _sting to get hit by it. Sting, but not hurt, because he'd obviously held a lot back.

She quickly drew Tetsusaiga and smirked.

"Meidou Zangetsuha!"

The attack vanished into the black hole of her cut and she smirked..

"You lose," she mocked. "Now open a portal already."

"What the hell was _that_!? Did you just open a portal!?"

"No, I opened a dimensional rip. They're different."

"How so?" Kurama asked, intrigued.

"Does it matter? Look, if someone doesn't open a portal for me, I can just get back to that island on my own. Portals would just be a lot more convenient."

"Quite a bit you're keeping from us, it seems, Kagome," Kurama observed.

"My problems aren't anyone else's concern," she barked. "And regardless of how this tournament goes, I swear to every kami there is in existence that if someone gets in my way when I'm trying to kill that bastard, their safety isn't on my hands. You know what? I'll see you guys at the hotel," she said before vanishing…

The three watched in awe as the little, timid-looking girl exploded before leaving them.

"Perhaps we should refrain from asking her anything," Kurama said.

"The story is her business. We shouldn't concern ourselves with her affairs," Hiei said as he followed her with his Jagan.

Suddenly something snapped in his mental connection to her and for a brief second, Hiei saw an image of pure horror. In the image were four women screaming as they were slaughtered. Above them was a tall demon with long, flowing black hair and a skeletal face. And then, the image was gone and he shook his head.

"We best open that portal, detective. She wasn't talking about getting to that island by herself in jest."

"What the hell are you talking about!? It's in the middle of the ocean, and it has a massive barrier around it!"

"Trust me when I say the water isn't bothering her. And it seems she knows the demon controlling that barrier, so that will most likely open for her."

"Damn! Botan, we need a portal to the island," he yelled into the now-open communicator. A void opened and the three jumped in…

Kagome was flying across the ocean when she felt a sudden memory break into her mind. It was _then_. The events of one year ago played through her mind, and she snarled.

"Why the hell are you coming up _now_!?"

She had to quickly refocus, as the momentary distraction nearly dropped her into the river. Running on water was easy with her speed and abilities, but it took concentration, which was split everywhere now.

Finally, she reached the island's beach and felt a small resistance pushing her back before she simply drew the Tetsusaiga and it flashed red. The barrier somehow recognized its master's power, and let her pass through before she sheathed it again. By the team she reached the main part of the island, it was already night.

She reached the hotel at the same time she sensed her teammates appearing.

When she entered the room, she was met with a hostile glare and returned it tenfold.

"I told you I'd get here without your help."

"You realize I have absolutely no reason to let you stay on this team, right? I don't trust you, bitch!"

"First, you have no choice _but _to let me stay because you'll be disqualified without me. Secondly, I don't care if you trust me. Trust is for the naïve. I don't know why you want to know my past so badly, but ask your boss about it if you're so damn interested."

"It _does _make it rather difficult to fight alongside you," Kurama sighed. "We know not what your powers, past, motive for being here, or allegiances are."

"I guarantee you you'll see my powers when I'm fighting him. As for my motives, it _was _to save Keiko, but now it's so I can make sure he dies for eternity. My allegiances are to no one since I left the past, and I'm sure your boss knows all about my time-traveling adventures. Good enough, fox?"

Kurama's eyes widened at her name for him, and Yusuke snarled again.

"No! That's not good enough! I don't know what the hell your deal is, but there's no way I'm trusting you to do _anything_! I wouldn't trust you to not stab me in the back, so I definitely wouldn't trust you to be in my room while I'm sleeping!"

"There are plenty of caves around here that I can sleep in. It wouldn't be the first time for me, so shut the hell up about it. If you don't want me in here," she said while picking up her bag, "then I'll leave. Come find me when the fights are starting tomorrow. I'll be in a small cave on the beach."

Yusuke gaped at her as she vanished with speed that was _definitely _faster than Hiei's.

As Kagome reached the cave she'd seen, she set her bag down and sighed.

"This is not going to be a fun week."

She felt five youki coming toward her, and smirked. Maybe _this _would relieve some stress. At least, from the bloodlust, hatred, and regular lust she sensed, she _hoped _it would.

"Hey, bitch!" yelled a low, gravelly voice. "Who let a human wonder off to the beach!?"

"Nobody tells me where to go," she sighed. "_Please _tell me some of you wouldn't mind dying."

"What!? First, we lose to some half-breed's team and now we're getting shit from some human bitch!? That's it!"

A tall boar demon charged into the cave and she stood up.

"Hang on one second. You fought a hanyo's team?"

"Yeah, some prick named Naraku!"

"You fought Naraku and he let you live? What the hell?"

"What!? You think we're so weak as to die by that little prick's hands!?"

Kagome inspected the youki and sensed something concealing it.

"Huh… Maybe you guys actually have something to you…"

"Alright, bitch! That's it! I'm not taking more shit from you!"

"I highly doubt it," she said with a smirk. "But seriously, what happened? How are you alive after fighting him?"

"That guy just knocked us out of the ring and held us there, saying he had more important things to do than soil his hand with our _filthy blood_! The little arrogant _half-breed _called _our _blood _filthy_!"

"Oh! That would explain how he showed up so quick… I'd assumed he'd just killed everything and teleported…" she thought out loud.

"WHAT!? You little fucking bitch! I'm going to use your body so badly that you'll be begging for me to kill you before I'm done!" a large eagle demon yelled before drawing two slender blades.

The Tetsusaiga pulsed and Kagome sighed.

"Are they really dangerous?" she asked the sword, as though expecting an answer. "I thought you only responded to strong demons."

The five demons outside of the cave snarled and she sighed.

"Alright."

She drew the massive blade and the demons jumped back.

"Hey, can you guys try to make this last a while? I'm in a really bad mood and I want to let off some steam."

Yusuke's senses were suddenly brought to action when he sensed _massive _amounts of power near the edge of the island, near the beach.

"Oh, damnit! That stupid bitch is going to get herself killed!"

He took off, his team following close behind. When they got closer, Kuwabara stopped in his tracks and began to shake.

"What the hell's your problem!?" Yusuke barked at the delay.

"Don't go up there," he said quietly as the power he felt froze his body.

"What!? Why the hell not!?"

"Seriously, dude. You won't like what you find."

"Whatever," he yelled before taking off again. The demons left Kuwabara where he stood as they neared a cave.

Yusuke stopped dead in his tracks at what he saw.

On the beach were five demons that all looked the size of small mountains with powerful youki and brutal-looking weapons. In between the five was their teammate, holding the huge sword from before.

With his demonic hearing, he picked up every word spoken, and he did _not _like how it was going…

"Hey, I don't want to screw up this really nice cave with all your blood," Kagome sighed. "Mind if we do this on the beach?"

The demons snarled as she walked past them, showing her back.

Seeing this, the demons released their concealment and the entire beach was shaken with the rush of power on it.

"Oh, thank god. I thought this wouldn't be any fun," she said as the five made a ring around her. She briefly noticed her teammates watching, but she didn't care at the moment.

"You're going to die, you little bitch!"

"Yeah yeah," she sighed. "Listen, what were the demons on Naraku's side like?"

"What?" a large snake demon barked.

"On his team. Was there a skeletal demon? Kind of huge. He has a huge sword that's as big as him?"

"Yeah, that guy was there. He was laughing at us while his half-bred scum of a leader beat us!"

"You know what? Stop calling him a half-breed! He's not even close to something that pure!"

"Did you just call the bastard offspring of a demon and a filthy human _pure_!? Someone must've hit your head pretty hard, bitch!"

"I knew a 'half-breed' that could've killed every single one of you by now, so don't call that _thing _anything related to hanyos," she said calmly.

"Oh? A half-breed that could kill _us_, huh!? That's rich! I'd love to see that! What's his name!?"

"Inuyasha," she said quietly. All of the laughing from the demons immediately died.

"Inuyasha!? That bastard with the sword of the inu taiyoukai fang!?"

"Yeah. This is it," she said, lifting Tetsusaiga. "And you damn well better show respect for him."

"Oh? The little filth had a whole bunch of lucky breaks!"

"Yeah! He was that little filth that killed Ryukotsusei! And he had to let his noble side possess him to do it!"

"And he killed a whole bunch of bandits for the same reason, and got beaten by a weak _moth demon_!"

"And then, he let himself be possessed again by a _sword_!" supplied another demon.

"And then, to add the biggest insult of all, he fell in love to a human. A miko no less! And then he got pinned to a tree by her!"

"But the worst is that he died with the reincarnation of that same miko! What a joke! You're saying to _respect _him!?"

Tetsusaiga suddenly pulsed so violently the ground shook, and the demons were silenced when Kagome slowly sheathed the blade, her face hidden by the shadows of her bangs.

"You fucking demon filth," she said in a low voice. "If you say _one more word about him, _I'll slaughter you all," she hissed dangerously.

"Ha! The little filth was so pathetic he even died protecting a kitsune pup and a whole litter of filthy little human children!" the eagle demon said.

Suddenly, Tetsusaiga was on the ground and the entire beach was filled with a violent wind. An aura as black as coal wrapped around the girl and they watched as long, diamond-hard claws grew in place of her fingernails. As she lifted her head, black eyes stared at them as a vicious snarl left her. Her canines had tripled in size and were now fangs like a dog's. Large, jagged black stripes formed on her face and she hissed.

"I warned you. Now you die."

In a flash, her body vanished, and screams of pure agony filled the air along with the massive sprays of their decapitated heads' blood. She reappeared with blood covering her entire body and a feral snarl adorned her lips, which were pulled back to show her fangs. Suddenly, she bent down and picked the sword back up.

The second her flesh met with it, the entire area returned to its previous state and Kagome's body was that of a human once again, though she still looked as vicious as before.

"Don't talk about things you don't know," she snarled to no one. Around her lay five bloody, headless corpses along with five equally bloody heads on the sand.

Suddenly, the oceanic water lifted into the air and wrapped around her. When it left her, she was drenched, but completely blood-free, except for the red marks on her fingers.

"Sorry, Tetsusaiga," she whispered to the sword. "I should've paid better attention to your warning," she sighed before sliding it back into its place at her side. When she gently brushed the Tenseiga, she became aware of the poll-bearers of the dead by the corpses and got a sadistic idea.

In a flash, she swung the blade and the imps were ash. Suddenly, the heads of the demons groaned and spit out the sand in their mouths.

"What the hell!?"

"Guess what," she said to the demon heads. "You pissed me off when I was already in a bad mood, and you insulted one of the greatest men I've ever met. For that, I decided that I'm going to let your heads and bodies slowly rot here, while you're alive to feel every minute of it."

The eagle demon's head was the only one in a position to see her, and he gaped.

"What the hell _are _you!?"

"You know that miko you were joking about? The one you said he was pathetic because he protected her? That's me," she hissed. "And I don't appreciate some random little demon scum like _you _mocking him," she said with an odd calm.

"Please! We're sorry! Just kill us!" the demons begged in unison.

"Demons begging for death? I think I like this feeling. I think I understand why _he _enjoys it so much… But fortunately for you, I'm _not _Naraku, no matter what happened to me because of him."

With that, she let loose a spray of purifying energy and the demons turned to ash.

"In case you're wondering, that was fifty percent of my power," she said loudly to her teammates without turning around.

"Christ! What _are _you!? Even high S-Class demons aren't that strong!" Yusuke yelled.

"Well then, I guess you can classify me as X-Class, huh?"

There was a gust of wind and all of the bloody sand was suddenly thrown in a massive ball into the ocean.

"Come get me when the fight starts," she said before vanishing into the cave. A massive, shimmering barrier rose around it, and Kagome quickly went to sleep. Using that much power wasn't tiring, but the exertion of _not _killing all of the demons in a more vicious way _was_…

Yusuke watched as she walked into the cave, completely ignoring them.

"What the hell!? Okay! That's it! I am _not _going to fight with _that_!" he yelled, flipping open his communicator.

"Botan here," said a cheery voice.

"Botan, I need to talk to the toddler," he said while walking back toward Kuwabara.

Koenma appeared on the screen and sighed.

"I really wish you'd stop calling me that, Yusuke."

"Whatever. Look, I need someone strong for our team."

"You have someone strong."

"She's dangerous."

"Yes, I'm well aware. That's why she's a good ally."

"No, I mean she's bipolar, psychotic outbursts dangerous," he said as he leaned against a tree.

"Really? Well, I suppose she _would _be that way," Koenma sighed, not realizing he'd spoken out loud until it was too late.

"What the hell would cause her to be like this!? Wasn't she a _miko_!?"

"That's not my place to tell you, I'm afraid, Yusuke. She's so powerful that even my father shows her respect in her decisions. If she doesn't want to tell anyone, there's not a thing anyone can do about it."

"What!? Are you kidding me!? She's stronger than Sensui, Toguro, Rando, and Genkai _combined_!"

"Yes, well… She's had a lot of tragedy to get to that point, I'm afraid. Her being 'psychotic' is to be expected given what she went through…"

"Damnit, Koenma! I need someone else here to take her place! I don't trust her worth a damn!"

"Well, Genkai is the only one that fits that category and she's not allowed to enter…"

Suddenly, the communicator was grabbed from Yusuke's hand and Kurama sighed.

"Excuse me, Koenma. What can you tell us about hanyo named Naraku and Inuyasha?"

"Naraku!? Where'd you hear that name?" Koenma asked nervously.

"It seems he has quite an effect on Kagome, I'm afraid."

"What're you talking about!? Naraku was killed over five hundred years ago!"

"Yeah yeah, we already established that that's what everyone thought. Apparently the psycho princess didn't do a good enough job," Yusuke yelled over Kurama's shoulder.

Koenma's eyes widened and he began to sweat.

"Naraku… is back? Oh… Oh no… Listen, Yusuke, whatever you do, do _not _get into _any _form of altercation with him! Understand!?"

"What's the big deal? He doesn't seem so tough," Yusuke said with a shrug.

"Yusuke, you know how you were just talking about how dangerous Kagome was? Imagine this scenario. Two years ago, Kagome's power was completely new, raw, and not under her control. Now think of that power, and imagine what it would take to not only _survive _that, but to live to this day and be able to walk around."

Yusuke's eyes widened at the implication.

"Who exactly _is_ this Naraku?" Kurama asked.

"Oh no! I'm not getting you involved with any of this! Listen closely, all of you! I don't care how strong you _think _you are, but if it comes to a fight with him, _absolutely DO NOT _get in Kagome's way. If they're fighting, I want you to call Botan and get a portal to somewhere _very _far away with every demon that you don't want to be killed. _That_ is an order, understand!?"

"Fine, shorty," Yusuke said, suddenly humbled. "Get back to me about that fighter," he said before closing it.

"It would be wise to not delve into that woman's past, for what it's worth," Hiei said from a tree limb above the detective.

"And what do _you _know?"

"Enough," he said before jumping down. "I, as well, don't want to see what happens should her past be revealed. But from what I know, asking her to tell you will be very painful for her, and she might destroy this entire island in rage if you get her too annoyed."

With that, Hiei walked off into the night, heading in the beach's general direction…

A/N:

(1)- this is where you use your hands to push your entire body up, whereas in a horizontal pushup, you lift your body using both arms and legs, and there is less gravity to make it difficult.

Also, I'm aware that without their bodies, the heads wouldn't be able to talk. However, since demon anatomy is often different, I'm going to assume these ones don't need lungs to talk. So there!

As always, be sure to leave your thoughts! See you next time, and thank you for reading my latest work!


	7. Power

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, YuYu Hakusho (As much as I'd love to) or any of the anime/manga characters.

Power

As Hiei reached the cave, she sensed the one aura she _could _stand at that moment and let him inside her barrier.

"You're crying," Hiei observed as he sat down across from the tear-soaked miko/demon.

"I just became Naraku for a second. I wanted them to suffer."

"They insulted your love. Not that I'm one to talk about that subject from experience, but it's understandable to want the ones insulting him to suffer."

"You know, it really hurts… some times… Out of nowhere, I'll remember Inuyasha, and his face as he died will show up. And, no matter what I'm doing, I just can't do anything but stop and cry…"

"I saw what happened a year ago," Hiei stated calmly.

"You went into my mind?" Kagome asked with an edge to her tone.

"No. I was watching you with the Jagan to see how you intended to get onto the island, and it just popped up… For what it's worth, hatred is an understandable emotion."

"So, who's replacing me?" she asked suddenly.

"Nobody, though the detective is angry about it."

"And you?"

"I believe there's a reason you're here on this island," he stated simply. "But making the idiot an enemy is most likely a bad idea in the long run, regardless," he sighed.

"My past is none of his goddamn business," she spat out.

"That's what Koenma told him, as well."

"You know, this is weird. If it were two years ago, you would've been the member of the team I'd be most scared of."

"And now?"

"Now, I don't get afraid of anything. It's a wasted emotion. After the past events, I have a small number of emotions. Anger, hate, sadness, small bursts of joy here and there, motherly love, but mostly just sadness and anger. Fear was taken out of me the same time that love was, and that was when they all died…"

"Sounds logical, albeit depressing," he sighed.

"You know, I was a pure miko before two years ago… And I've been doing a good job holding in all of my aggression. But now, all of that's shot to hell."

"I don't see how it's different from last time," Hiei stated calmly.

"The difference is that now I have to worry about my family. When I was in the past, I didn't. But now, I have four children that depend on me. I _can't _afford to have him alive to put them in danger. On top of that, I can't kill him outside the ring, because then he'll be able to get some kind of advantage…"

"Then just wait to kill him in the finals, as that's where we're going to end up regardless of who we fight…"

"I guess," she sighed. "Can you tell me something?"

"Depends on the question."

She smirked at the quick, cynical response.

"Why are you here instead of with your friends?"

"I don't _have _friends. But the answer is that I find you interesting."

"Really? Interesting how?"

"For starters, I've never met someone faster than me. I'm curious as to why you let me win those races."

"Oh, that," Kagome said with a blush. "Well… I needed to tell someone, and I thought you'd tell me what's under that seal if I told you about my past. Is that it?"

"No. _Nobody _can block my Jagan eye. It's not possible to block the psychic power inside of it. And nobody can completely hide what they are from me, either. Despite this, you remain an enigma."

"I don't really care what I tell you, since it seems like you don't trust anyone enough to tell them. Ask me whatever you want to know," she sighed.

"You trust _me _more than the others. I find that curious."

"Kurama's a calculating kitsune who was infamous even when I was in the past."

"So you knew who the fox was before meeting him?"

"Even in Feudal Japan, Youko Kurama was an infamous thief," she said with a shrug. "Anyway, there's Kurama. And then, I don't like Yusuke. Kuwabara seems nice enough, but he seems kind of dim. I don't think he'd be able to really keep up with my past. Keiko isn't demonic in any way, so explaining to her wouldn't be good. All of them trust each other, and you. But I can tell that _you _don't trust easily. So what I tell you won't get to them."

Hiei smirked, enjoying her observations.

"That's quite impressive. Tell me what happened a year ago."

"Really? I thought you said you saw it."

"I only saw an image for a brief second," he said with a shrug.

"Alright. And, if I start to cry, I'll hit you if you laugh. I'll just get right to the bad part. But before then, I'd invited some old friends of mine from high school over. I didn't have a clue how bad it would be…"

**Flashback**

There was a knock at the door and Kagome watched with a smile as Shippo opened it, his concealment spell in place and looking perfect.

"Hello?" he answered, smiling up at the three tall women at the door.

"Hello," said a tall one with long black hair. "Who are you, cutie?"

"I'm Shippo," he said, smiling.

Kagome walked up and lifted him into her arms as she smiled at her friends.

"Hey, girls."

"Hi, Kagome!" they yelled in unison.

"Who's he?" another girl asked, her short brown hair catching light.

"Oh, right! Shippo, these are my friends from high school. Girls, this is my son Shippo," she said with a smile at their shocked expressions.

"Your _son_!? What!?"

"I adopted him a few years ago," she said while gently stroking his hair. "Shippo, can you go play with Uncle Souta for a while?" she asked.

With a nod, the kit jumped down and scampered off into the house.

"He's _so _cute!" the third girl exclaimed.

"I know."

"Aren't you a bit young to be a mother?"

"Well, I have mom's help. But I don't think I'm _too _young."

"You're only nineteen!" Eri exclaimed.

"And I'm already in med school," Kagome argued.

"Isn't having a kid around a handful?" the brunette asked.

"Well, Shippo's energetic, but Rin keeps him busy for me, and Kohaku watches them both when I'm in school and mom's out."

"Rin?"

"Kohaku?"

"Oh… That's right! Umm… Let's see… I guess you could say that Rin is kind of like an inherited daughter from a friend of mine that died a while ago. Kohaku is the brother of another friend that died recently…"

"So, what I'm getting from this is that you're raising _three _children!?" Eri exclaimed.

"Yeah. So, what have you three been up to?" Kagome asked, wanting to change the subject.

Before they could answer, there was a flare of energy so powerful that even the very spiritually-dense girls felt it. All three turned around just as Kagome's mother entered the room and the front door exploded.

The girls screamed while Kagome glared at the tall demon.

"Oh, _hell no_!"

She launched through the air, knocking the demon back from her home.

"You must be the miko that beat Naraku," the skeletal demon said with a chilling smile.

"What are you doing here, demon?"

"Oh, just came by to pray," he said with a smirk. "I'd imagine you want to kill me pretty badly, huh?"

"Momma!"

She turned to find Shippo running toward her, Kohaku behind him.

"Here!"

Kohaku tossed her her bow and quiver of arrows, and she quickly notched one.

"Get the hell away from my shrine," she said as she took aim at his head.

"Too slow."

Kagome's eyes widened as he vanished and suddenly, bloodcurdling screams filled the air. She spun to find her three friends, as well as her mother, on their knees, a long sword stretched against all of their throats in a row.

"Now now, Kagome. Don't do anything rash."

"Kagome? Who is this?" Eri asked, fear lacing her voice.

"What's going on?" the brunette asked.

The demon laughed, causing her to snarl.

"What's wrong, Kagome? Why don't you tell them what's going on? Explain why they're going to die now."

The girls' eyes widened in terror as Azumi Higurashi simply stared into her daughter's eyes.

"I'll give you a choice. Give me the jewel or they die," the demon laughed.

"I don't have the whole thing," she bit out.

"Don't lie. You and Naraku are the only ones that had any shards."

"That's true, but when I got all of his shards, there was one missing, so it's incomplete, and if you touch it, you'll die anyway."

"You know what? I believe you. Naraku told me about how he… _enjoyed you_. He said you're nearly incapable of lying."

The mention of being his captive brought flames to life around Kagome's body.

"How about I'll give _you _a choice, demon? Let them go, or I'll make you suffer in ways you couldn't even imagine."

The demon barked out a laugh at that.

"_You_!? Ha! You're nothing but a pathetic little schoolgirl with some power! You beat Naraku because you got lucky! Now hand over the part of the jewel that you have."

Kagome moved, then. Unfortunately, she was one second too late in reaching him, and he pulled the sword.

Agonized screams filled the air as her friends, closer to the demon with the sword, were decapitated before their heads were ignited. Kagome looked desperately into her mother's eyes as the sword began to meet her flesh.

"Kagome, I love you," she whispered with her last breath. As her head was separated, Kagome's entire body exploded with power. Instantly, the demon was gone, flying away at jet-like speeds.

The power coursed through Kagome's body uninhibited, and she let out a pained scream. The only thing that was nearby that would get rid of the pain was the well. She pointed and a massive spray of golden energy hit the air. The shed, as well as the well, exploded in a brilliant flash of golden power mixed with black, blue and red…

**End of Flashback**

"So that's what happened," Kagome concluded. "And, regardless of what I've told you, what that demon was talking about is _never _going to be relived by me."

Suddenly, the third eye on Hiei's forehead flashed open and he growled slightly.

"Damnit."

"What's with that thing, anyway? I can feel it. It keeps staring at me."

"The Jagan is _supposed _to be under my control, but it seems that it's feeling insubordinate around you."

"Huh… You know, it's really hard to imagine you being related to Yukina," Kagome said suddenly, comparing her child-like behavior and innocence to his dangerous killer mind.

Hiei's eyes widened at her.

"What do you know of Yukina, onna?"

"I met Yukina when Genkai was training me a year ago. I started training with the psychic I'd heard about after I lost control and didn't want to ever again. I knew the second I met you that you were related to her, but I still don't know _how _you're related. It's not my business, though."

Though the Jagan wasn't listening to his commands, Hiei picked up on all of the emotions running through the tragic woman.

"You know something? I'd thought telling someone what happened would be therapeutic, sort of. Instead, it's just drudging up these memories that I've tried locking away for a long time… I'm pretty sure that my depression's coming back with a vengeance."

"I'm not the one you should go to for comfort," Hiei said with a smirk.

"I'm not so sure about that. If you were to tell me pointless words trying to soothe me, that would probably make me angrier than if you just told me your thoughts. Which, I have to add, you haven't said any yet."

"I highly doubt you want my opinion of your past."

"Try me," she said before lying down against the rock wall of the cave.

"Alright. While your fighting spirit and drive are admirable, I notice a repeating pattern. You care too much about others, and they're used against you frequently."

"I know that already."

"I also noticed that you're an empty, demonic shell of a human miko."

Kagome's eyes widened at that.

"I'd love to hear that explanation."

"I doubt it."

Kagome frowned and Hiei smirked.

"Your wish. From what I knew of you in the past, you were a pure human being who trusted almost unconditionally and were rather peaceful. Then, you fought Naraku and you lost your soul in the process," he said with a shrug.

Kagome gaped at the small apparition while she thought about that.

"I have _not _lost my soul."

"Yes you have. Though not completely. But mikos are born to hate demons and only kill them. So when you killed a hanyo, no matter how demonic he was, a part of your soul died, as well as another part dying with you being friends with a whole lot."

"I have a large soul."

"Perhaps, but it's smaller than it originally was."

"If killing Naraku and saving everybody means damnation, then damning myself as both a miko and as a human is a sacrifice I'm willing to make," she said seriously.

Hiei's eyes widened as he stared at the miko.

"You speak so lightly of Hell, miko. Why?"

"I figure, I'm already a demon. So, going to Hell isn't really going to change me, right?" she said with a shrug. "Though, truthfully, I've been going in this direction ever since I started changing because of Naraku… But, on the bright side, I can still use my holy qi," she said with a brilliant smile that completely went against her previous statements.

"You are rather irritating in your optimism, onna. Why is it that a young human girl is more capable to deal with being dragged to Hell than most demons?"

"I'm a miko, true. But I'm also the protector of the Shikon no Tama. The jewel comes before my purity, though I apparently still have enough to keep the jewel completely untainted. If I have to dirty my soul killing in order to protect humanity, I gladly do it. But, all this talk is depressing me. What say we talk about something else?"

"Such as?"

"Well… you could always tell me what's under that seal," she said, eyeing his arm.

Instead of denying it right away, he smirked as a thought formed.

"Find out for yourself."

"How?"

"If you can remove the seal, then I have no problem telling you what it is," he said with a wide smirk.

"Cocky, aren't you? Alright," she said, standing up and walking over to him. She knelt down in front of him and touched the wrappings. A massive spark of power shocked her and her hand began to smoke.

"Ow!"

Hiei chuckled and she glared at him.

"Alright, tough guy. How about this?"

She grabbed the wrappings completely and as smoke rose from her hand, so too did smoke rise from the wrappings. Just as Kagome pulled her blackened hand back, the wrappings released and fell to the ground before a shocked Hiei.

"Ha! Not so cocky now, are you!?"

Suddenly, a massive explosion of dark youki filled the cave and Kagome was suddenly staring face-to-face with a massive black dragon.

"Umm… Hi?"

The dragon hissed at her while Hiei's third eye began glowing bright red.

The dragon cocked its head to the side and looked at his 'master' before looking back at the demon who'd released it. Suddenly, it moved forward and coiled around her body.

"What!?"

The dragon's head reached up to hers and she gasped as it flew into her mouth. As she gagged, she felt its youki crawling through her every orifice, slowly inspecting her body.

"What the hell!? Hiei, call this thing off!"

Hiei stared wide-eyed as the miko's body began glowing with black energy. Instantly, he was in front of her.

"Don't hit me, onna," he said before pressing their lips together. Her eyes widened in surprise as she felt his tongue gently spread her lips.

And then, the energy inside of her stopped moving with a screeching halt and she gagged again as it slowly came the other way, leaving her mouth and entering Hiei's body. The black tattoo on his arm glowed as the last remnants of the creature left her body, and suddenly, she pitched forward, taking him with her.

When she felt warm arms wrap around her back, her eyes widened even more before closing in response to the kiss, which the demon underneath her had deepened.

A soft moan escaped her as his tongue gently played across hers. And then, his own eyes widened in surprise and they were instantly on opposite sides of the cave, panting.

"Umm…" Kagome stated dumbly, her face multiple shades of bright red.

"Don't read too into it," Hiei stated before suddenly they stood up.

"Don't worry. I'm more pissed than concerned right now."

"I told you not to be angry," he said with a nonchalant shrug.

"No, you told me not to hit you. You didn't say anything about being angry. Hiei, what the _hell _was that thing doing to me!?"

"I'm not entirely sure," Hiei stated with an edge to his voice. "Neither my Jagan nor the Dragon obey me when you're near," he said with a frustrated edge to his voice.

Kagome was about to reply when a massive black flame shot from his body into her arm. They both stared wide-eyed at the spot that was now ignited in black flames, which were slowly creeping up the length of her left arm.

"What!?"

Hiei put his hand out and snarled.

"I _command you _to return to me, dragon!"

The black flames brightened and darkened, as though laughing at him while they slowly burned the skin underneath. Surprisingly enough, Kagome felt no pain despite watching her skin melting.

"Hiei, what the hell's going on?"

"As I've said, I do not know," he bit out. "Dragon, I say return from her body this instant," he said with authority in his voice. Suddenly, the flames dimmed and completely vanished. The two looked at the burn mark to find it identical to the one on Hiei's right arm. (1)

"Umm… What is this?" she asked, eyeing the strange tattoo.

Hiei's eyes were focused on the mark with the precision of a laser while thinking of an answer.

"The Dragon seems to have entered your body."

"Yeah, I know that. What kind of a dragon _was _that? And more importantly, why the _hell _did it enter my body? And, again, what's with this tattoo? I can feel my youki building around it."

"What?" Hiei asked, surprised.

"My youki. It's wrapping around the tattoo."

"I see… But no, that shouldn't be possible," he said to himself.

"What shouldn't?"

"The Dragon… It shouldn't be able to assimilate with your body. It shouldn't be able to assimilate with _anyone_'s, for that matter. The Jagan is necessary to control it… So why?"

Kagome looked at the mark and watched as the black burn rearranged itself into a winding dragon along the length of her arm. As soon as it finished moving, a massive flare of youki formed and both watched with wide eyes as the entire area was filled with a golden aura.

And then, the aura vanished and Kagome fell to the ground, screaming bloody murder. Hiei was at her side in a second, and he watched as she stopped screaming and fell unconscious.

Her body slowly began to be engulfed in energy, and Hiei jumped away before it exploded…

"Damn that Hiei," Yusuke bit out. "Where the hell'd he go!?"

"I believe he went to comfort the miko," Kurama said as they reached Kuwabara.

"_Hiei_!? _Comfort Someone_!? Holy crap, Kurama! I think you're losing it," Yusuke said before bursting into a fit of laughter.

"Perhaps, but I'm sure you noticed he was less… aggressive, then usual," Kurama said quietly. Yusuke stopped laughing at that.

"You know, come to think of it, I think you're right… What the hell's up with Hiei?"

Suddenly, a massive explosion of power formed and the three stopped their walk to the hotel. As they spun around, they watched as first a massive aura of black then gold filled the air, and Yusuke stiffened.

"That felt like Sensui's power," he said before the three took off.

When they reached the beach, they found a massive disaster.

In front of a large pile of rocks, Hiei knelt as blood fell from all over his body and smoke rose from his head.

Then, they looked at the pile of rocks to find Kagome floating off the ground, a massive bronze aura surrounding her.

"What the hell!?"

Hiei slowly turned to the detective and stood up even more slowly.

"I suggest you get back, Yusuke," he said while quickly moving toward them.

"What the hell, Hiei!? Why's she got Sensui's power!?"

"It's not his power… It's somewhat different…"

"How so?" Kurama asked, observing the floating miko.

"The Dragon entered her body," Hiei said simply, making Kurama's eyes widen.

"The Dragon? It entered her body? How?"

"I don't know, but whatever happens next will be rather painful for anyone nearby, I would imagine," he said as he began to walk away.

"Hold it, Hiei," Yusuke barked, grabbing his shoulder. "Tell me what the hell's happening. A power that dangerous needs to be killed."

"I doubt that there's an entity in any of the three worlds that could kill her, right now, detective," he said calmly before throwing Yusuke's hand away.

"I don't care! What the hell's with her power!? Why's it feel like Sensui's!?"

"You really want to know? Think about it like this. That human female currently has miko qi, human spiritual energy, youki, and now she has the Dragon of the Darkness Flame in her. If you were to mix that kind of power, you'd be… well, let's just say she currently has the power of a small god in her."

Yusuke's eyes widened as he eyed the glowing woman.

"A… god? Are you serious?"

"I believe it would be best to retreat," Kurama observed. Without another word, the four took off, leaving her destructive power to act of its own accord. They stopped when they were far enough away to be safe while still observing her.

Suddenly, the entire beach shook as the energy erupted. Before their eyes, Kagome's body became completely encased in a massive golden dragon and everything nearby turned to dust. Unfortunately, they found, they hadn't moved enough of a distance away. The sand and water around them evaporated as a golden flame flew over the beach. When it reached them, it passed right by, as though they were immune to the flames.

Suddenly, the power shut off and Kagome fell to the ground, unconscious.

"That wasn't the Dragon," Kurama observed.

"I'm well aware of that, fox," Hiei said before taking off. He reached the miko before the others and as he bent down to lift her up, her eyes fluttered open.

Golden orbs gazed back at him, and a small smile played across her lips.

"I feel funny," she sighed, trying to figure out the strangeness she felt.

"I believe we should get her back to the hotel," Kurama stated as he observed her strangeness, though she'd closed her eyes before anybody but Hiei got there. With a nod, Hiei lifted her off the ground and took off for the hotel. Just before they reached the large building, one of her hands softly touched Hiei's forehead and he gasped at the feeling of someone being in his mind.

He quickly realized she was somehow reading his memories, so he let it go, as there wasn't much there that would be dangerous to him…

A/N:

(1) I have NO idea if that's right. I had a 50/50 chance of getting it right, so I guessed, but just know Kagome's tattoo is on the arm opposite Hiei's own Dragon tattoo.

I only know the one friend's name, so sorry if I annoyed anyone.

So, what do you think? After the build-up, were the past events satisfactory? How was my twist? Be sure to tell me what you think. Review! See you next time.


	8. Battle

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, YuYu Hakusho (As much as I'd love to) or any of the anime/manga characters.

Battle

Hiei gently put Kagome down on her bed as he felt her sifting through his memories. Quickly, he erected a barrier so that he didn't concern himself with what she was seeing and he could focus on other things.

Other things, such as his teammates, who were watching him in awe.

"What?" he barked out.

"Hiei, what the hell? Tell me everything that happened, because I'm _really _interested in why she has your dragon in her!"

"That was most assuredly _not _the Dragon of the Darkness Flame," Hiei ground out.

"I'm afraid, Hiei, that doesn't help you," Kurama said, earning him a glare. "Look at the facts," he continued. "That was a dragon. Not _your _dragon, but a dragon, nonetheless. And other than the Dragons of the Mortal and Darkness Flame, there is only one other type, and it is extinct. Add to that the fact that her energy felt oddly like Sensui's, and the fact that _you _were the only one nearby when all of this occurred, and the result is suspicion."

"Like I give a damn whether I'm trusted or not, fox," Hiei stated calmly.

"You're going to answer my questions, Hiei," Yusuke said with authority. "Firstly, why in the hell did you go to her? Second, why the hell did you seem to actually be _gentle _for a second with her? And, most importantly to me, why in the _hell _did she seem like she was completely at ease around you? You screwing her or something?"

Hiei stood up and glared at him, but didn't answer, making Yusuke's eyes widen.

"Holy shit! You _are_!?"

"No, fool," Hiei sighed. "She just doesn't like you."

"Huh?" the detective asked dumbly.

"Oddly enough, the onna says she can trust me more than the rest of you fools, for whatever reason I don't know."

"She trusts _you_!? What, is there some kind honor between psychopaths or something?"

Hiei shrugged, though the comment made his blood simmer.

"Perhaps it is because we are untrusting of her, as well," Kurama supplied.

"Perhaps it's because the rest of you are fools," Hiei said with a shrug. "The reason is beside the point. She seems to trust me, and as long as she trusts at least _one _of us, then she will most likely remain an ally instead of an enemy."

"Scared, Hiei?" Yusuke asked cockily.

"I fear nothing. I don't particularly want to die. And there's no fear in that, it's a fact. Should she be an enemy, the entirety of your pathetic world, as well as possibly the others, will be destroyed."

"How do _you _know so much, Hiei!? It sounds almost like you've heard it from her," Yusuke said accusingly.

"Indeed, it _does _come off that way," Kurama added.

Hiei shrugged as he glared out the window of their room. Yusuke's eyes widened and he was in front of the small demon in an instant.

"What did she tell you, Hiei?"

"It's none of your business," he said calmly. "Nor mine, for that matter. The onna just wouldn't shut up."

"And how long have you known anything, Hiei?" Kurama asked, his trickster fox side rearing its ugly head.

"That is beside the point. I suggest you take your hands off of me, detective, and get some sleep. Our battle tomorrow will most likely be taxing."

With a growl, Yusuke left the room, deciding to sleep with his wife for the night.

"And no, fox, you will not find anything out by trying to trick me. I'm beyond your tricks," Hiei added before sitting down next to Kagome's bed.

With a sigh, the kitsune left and Kuwabara, who had been silent up until then, looked at the sleeping miko/demon/goddess.

"You know somethin', Hiei? Between the two of you, I'm less scared of you," he said before leaving.

"Hn," Hiei sighed as everybody fell asleep…

The next morning, the others were woken up to the feeling of power nearby. Everybody went toward it to find Kagome standing in a clearing in the forest, apparently sleeping.

"What am I going to do?" she asked nobody. Everyone looked at her like she'd lost her mind until a creature of shimmering blue energy formed.

"Well, they hate you. You're currently a living power conduit. And Naraku's alive. The way I see it, you have three possible choices."

"And they are?" she asked the creature, oblivious to those around her.

"Well, firstly, you could always just lure Naraku somewhere on this huge island with nobody around and kill him there."

"I can't do that. He's smart enough to know that if he gets to be alone with me somewhere, I will throw my entire body and soul into making sure he doesn't breathe ever again."

"Right. So, that leads to option two. You can ask your new friends for help, and maybe killing Naraku won't be so complicated. They _are _rather strong. Especially that mazoku and the apparition."

"I can't do that, either. For one, they don't trust me. And secondly, I'm not about to let anyone else die because of Naraku. I've watched it too many times already."

"And that leaves option three," the creature said. "You can win your way through this tournament, and then make everybody vanish from the island before killing Naraku with your all."

"_That _I can do. But that would mean leaving myself open to attack in an unfamiliar landscape in the middle of the ocean, surrounded by a barrier."

"Oh, please! You can _fly _for God sake. And the barrier opens itself for you. Even if it didn't, you could always just use a little Tetsusaiga power and bring the barrier down with one swing. And you've got the speed of Koga, Sesshomaru, _and _Inuyasha in you. I highly doubt you'd have trouble getting out of a bad situation."

"That's true," Kagome said, biting her fingernail. "I guess I have no choice, then… Thank you, Rumiko," she said as she petted the large blue creature.

"No problem," it said before it bent its head low. "And, on another note, you should know that they don't trust you because you don't trust them, either."

"Would _you _trust anyone?"

"In your situation? Not likely," the creature scoffed. "But remember how you used to be, as well. Remember Jinenji and Shiori?"

"Of course. What about them?"

"They're alive because you trusted demons more than yourself then."

"I wouldn't go that far. Jinenji was plenty strong on his own. And Shiori was, and still is, more than capable of protecting herself."

"Yes, but had you not made your group help them, they wouldn't have discovered that on their own."

Kagome shrugged as she stood up.

"Thank you, Rumiko… Well, I think I'll go see who we're fighting," she said before the creature vanished in a smoky cloud of blue energy, which came from her body. Once the creature's energy was completely gone, she smiled and took off, leaving the others staring at where she'd been.

"Does anyone know what that was about?" Kuwabara asked as they all entered the clearing.

"Not a clue," Yusuke sighed.

Kurama and Hiei simply shook their heads.

"I believe we should also see who we're fighting today," Kurama said before taking off.

Hiei quickly followed, with Yusuke following after that and Kuwabara the farthest away.

When they reached the stadium, Kagome looked at the roster and sighed.

"I guess we'll just have to wait until the finals, at this rate."

"Don't sound so disappointed," a large demon said.

"Who're you?" she asked her.

"My name's Jahime. I'm from your opponent team, and I couldn't help but overhear that you think that you'll get past us and all the way to the finals. While those demons on your side are strong, and the mazoku is pretty damn tough, you're nothing but a human, albeit a very powerful one, and in our fight, you need to win at least four matches."

"Four? Why's that?" Kagome asked curiously.

"There are six fights," the demon said with a shrug. "Some new, bothersome rule about using the alternates, too. So, don't be too cocky, because you and that other human fool are too pathetic. And whoever your alternate is probably isn't any better."

"Oi!" Yusuke yelled, getting both their attention. "Is that true?"

"Yeah, unfortunately for you. Say goodbye to the finals if all you've got on your team other than you three are a weak little human psychic who got lucky last time and a little schoolgirl who just used some kind of cheap magic to beat Chu," she said before sauntering off.

"Alright then… So, we're screwed, huh?" Kuwabara asked, thinking about their lack of an alternate.

"Nothing to worry about. Someone just has to fight twice, right?" Kagome said with a shrug.

"It would appear so."

"Why not Kurama, then?"

They all looked at her with wide eyes and she sighed.

"Well, technically, you're two people, right, Kurama? So why not fight one fight and let Youko fight one? Therefore, we technically have an alternate," she explained. They all thought that over and were amazed she could come up with such a simple plan that they'd overlooked.

"That's brilliant… Unfortunately, I cannot just bring Youko out whenever I wish."

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it. For right now, we're the second fight today, and then after round three's over, they're going right into round four."

"How do you know that?" Yusuke asked.

"It's up on that chart with all the fights. Right now there's a fight with a tiger demon's team."

"Who else is fighting?"

"Guess," Kagome said as she glared at the stadium. "I'm going to see what we're up against."

With that, she vanished into the crowd and stood at the edge of the stadium, bringing herself extremely close to the ring.

She found herself staring at a tall, winged man draped in a body-length black cloak with a scythe facing off against a massive ogre with a sword as tall as her. The man was on Naraku's team, judging by the auras.

The bell rang and the ogre was in half before it even completed its reverberations. The crowd 'boo'd and yelled as the man jumped down from the stage, his scythe disappearing into his body.

"Umm… Winner of the match, Kurasa! Next fighters, take your places!"

A short woman appeared from Naraku's side, her long red hair flowing. Silver eyes stared blankly at the green-haired imp, who looked similar to Shishiwakamaru, that rose up onto the stage. A long staff formed in his hand and he prepared to strike.

"Second match, Fiora versus Tsukikiba! Fight!"

The bell rang and the imp attacked. Suddenly, a staff formed below his own and held him back as 'Tsukikiba' smirked evilly.

"Nightmare Crash!"

The staff exploded with dark energy and suddenly, the imp was wrapped in a massive black snake as he screamed.

"No! No! No, please make it go away!"

The snake hissed and bit the imp's throat. Kagome watched as the venom flowed into his body and he slowly melted.

The crowd watched in stunned silence as the snake glowed and turned into a small black orb, which cracked and shattered.

"Umm… Oh, right! Winner of the second match, Tsukikiba!"

The small woman's staff vanished and she jumped from the ring, a cocky smile on her face.

Without the announcer speaking, a tall, white-haired woman stepped onto the stage, staring blankly ahead while the large mirror in her hand caught the sunlight. A demon snarled and lunged up to the stage.

Kagome stared at the white-haired demon in shock. She'd been positive that Kanna had been killed…

"Third match, Latresia versus Kanna of the Void! Fight!"

The bell rang and the demon began launching balls of fire at the woman.

Every single attack vanished into her mirror, and she smiled weakly.

"Foolish demon. Return!"

The mirror glowed with bright light and then, a massive spear of the demon's energy launched through the air. As it stabbed him, the energy entered his body and he screamed bloody murder as his own youki began to burn him internally. Finally, the mirror flashed again and the demon's soul left his body.

"So noisy," Kanna said testily as his body fell limply to the ground.

Again, there was shocked silence as the girl turned from her opponent and looked into the crowd.

"It's so _nice _seeing you again, Kagome," she said, making the miko's eyes widen.

"How are you alive?" she bit out. "I watched you die."

"And you also watched Naraku die, but that didn't mean anything in the end, did it?" she bit out. "But, at least I got some emotions while he was away," she said with a shrug as her opponent's body ignited and vanished. "I'm looking forward to playing with some of your friends."

With that, she left the ring and the announcer remembered her purpose.

"Winner of the third match, Kanna!"

And then, Naraku appeared on the stage, smiling chillingly at Kagome.

"I think Kanna really wants her revenge on your friend, Kagome. Too bad that dog is dead."

Kagome grabbed the railing below her and snarled, making his smile widen.

"Testy, testy."

During his speech, his opponent had gotten into the ring and the bell rang. The demon was now charging at him with two large spikes of energy. They hit Naraku and he turned slowly, still smirking.

The demon was surprised when a massive spray of purple gas hit his face, and then, he was choking for air as the miasma coursed through his blood. With a gurgled, strangled cry, his body turned to bone before everyones' eyes.

"Enjoy your match, Kagome. I'm rather looking forward to seeing how much you've improved. You know how I love to plan," he said before his entire team vanished.

"Umm… Team Kurasa is the winner of the first fight! Will teams Urameshi and Hime, please come to the ring!?"

Kagome watched as their opponents appeared, and immediately knew they were more dangerous than she had thought. She grabbed onto the railing and flipped over it, landing next to the ring before her team appeared.

"So, do we have to worry about them, Kagome?" Kurama asked, referring to both the previous team and the current one.

"These guys aren't pushovers. I don't know what they can do, though. As for Naraku's team, I think we should talk about that when this fight's over."

"Alright! The second match of round three will now begin! Fighters, take your places!"

A very lithe cat demon got onto the stage, smiling at their team.

"Who's first?" she purred. "I'm looking forward to sharpening my claws on someone."

As though to emphasize her point, the blade-like claws caught the sunlight and gleamed.

"Who wants to fight the cat?" Yusuke asked.

"I would say that it should be me, but the one I want is that snake demon," Kagome said while she observed the enemy team.

"Hold on, guys. They're all girls. I can't fight them," Kuwabara said, receiving a cold stare from everybody else.

"We did not take into account Kuwabara's rather stubborn code of not fighting women. I suppose someone else will also need to fight twice."

Kagome observed the opponent team and a brilliant idea came to mind. She quickly turned to her teammates.

"Alright, if Kuwabara's not fighting, that leaves four of us. So, two of us will fight twice. Is there a rule against summoning?" she asked the wide-eyed teammates.

"I do not believe so, but summoning is a rather… unique ability," Kurama said.

"Alright, I just finished figuring out their powers."

They stared at her blankly and she sighed.

"That one in the black, slutty outfit over there's a succubus. There's no way any of you can fight her, because her powers will have you down regardless of how strong you are because you're men. So, I have to fight her," she said to a round of reluctant nods.

"Then, there's the one with short black hair. She's got a power a lot like the Void, so there's no way anybody inexperienced with that can fight her."

"I believe that I can handle that one, onna," Hiei said, his Jagan flaring with power.

"Alright. The snake demon can use summoning, though _what _she can summon, I'm not sure. She's also got venom, so someone that is immune to poison and quick-thinking would be most effective."

"Then I shall take that one," Kurama offered.

"Right. The tiger demon can cause small explosions through her youki. It's really nothing too strong or impressive. And then, there's the wolf demon. She's got some serious power over energy. Someone who can redirect power would be good for fighting her, so that's either Yusuke or myself."

"I'll take her," Yusuke offered.

"Alright. So then, I guess I'll take the cat demon. Or Hiei can do it. She's got some serious speed."

"This wouldn't even be an issue if the fool would fight," Hiei ground out. "I suppose I'll fight the cat."

With that, Hiei jumped up onto the stage and glared at the cat demon.

"Oh! A fire apparition! Goody, I get to sharpen my claws on a Forbidden Child!"

"The first match, Hiei versus Kibahime, begin!"

The bell rang and the cat vanished with a speed greater than Hiei's and pretty close to Kagome's if she were serious.

Suddenly, a large gash formed on Hiei's chest as the cat launched with her claws poised to strike. Though that left her open as he spun and drew his sword right into her chest.

"Ow!" the cat screamed as she fell to the ground bleeding.

"Fool," Hiei bit out before swinging the sword down. Suddenly, a claw latched onto it and she rose with a cruel smile.

"Just kidding!" she said as the gash that had been through almost her entire body vanished. "Hokiba!"

Flames wrapped around her body and she bit into Hiei's arm. The flames left her and exploded around the bite mark, making Hiei grunt in pain.

Her victorious smirk vanished when Hiei raised his head and showed an even crueler smile.

"Just kidding," he said before the flames turned black and she instantly turned to dust from the Dragon's attack.

"Winner, Hiei!"

Hiei left the stage and smirked.

"I thought you said she was dangerous."

"No, I said she was _fast_. I never said she was dangerous," she defended.

"Hn."

Hiei sat on the ground as the wolf demon rose onto the stage.

"You'll pay for killing my sister!" the wolf demon screamed. Lightning struck around her body and Yusuke stepped up.

"Look, I'm sorry your sister was killed. But the lightning trick won't help you against me. I beat a demon that could do the same thing when I was new to this, so there's no way it'll work now."

"The Saint Beast Suzaku, right? Ha! His power was nothing compared to mine," she said coldly.

"Well that's good to hear. Don't want this to be too boring," Yusuke said as the energy began to build around the wolf.

"Second match, Yusuke Urameshi versus Raihime! Begin!"

"Diamond Dust!"

A massive spray of energy left the wolf's hand and Yusuke was suddenly trapped in an ice storm.

"What the hell!?"

Suddenly, the microscopic ice particles began to clash together rapidly and Yusuke found himself trapped in a column of lightning. A pained yelp left it as the energy coursed through his body.

And then, the column was hit with something and its structure of energy became unstable. Unfortunately for the wolf, there were only two demons in the ring, and she was the only one currently holding onto the power. As the column broke down, a massive backlash of electricity smashed into her body, lighting her hair on fire.

"Shotgun!" Yusuke yelled. Several dozen bursts of spirit energy exploded outward from his fist, smashing the wolf out of the arena.

The wolf shook herself and quickly stood up, though with a few bloody wounds riddling her body now.

"That hurt, you little bastard."

"Can't help it," Yusuke said with a shrug. "I guess you'll just have to put some effort into winning."

The wolf snarled and Kagome watched a familiar energy engulf her hand.

"Yusuke, don't get hit by her claw, whatever you do!" she called out.

"Something strange about her claw?" Kurama asked.

"Yeah. If Yusuke's hit with the kind of power in it right now, he won't be getting up for a while."

"Oh?"

"I'll kill you for killing my sister!" the wolf snarled. With that, she lunged forward and her fist hit the ground where Yusuke had been a second earlier.

"Spirit Gun!" he yelled from above her. Another burst of power hit the wolf and she fell to the ground. But then, she looked up with a snarl and Kagome quickly turned away. What was going to happen next wasn't going to be a pleasant sight.

The wolf snarled and several massive bursts of energy fell from the air, nearly hitting Yusuke. But when he dodged them, she used her created opportunity. Before he could react, she lunged into the air and smashed him with her bleeding hand.

"Blood Claw!"

The youki in her hand flared and Yusuke shot down into the ring, with incredible speed.

Smoke rose from his body-shaped crater and he slowly got up with a grunt.

"Damn, that's one hell of a headache," he said while shaking his head from side to side/

"You lose!"

He looked up and swung his arms in a block just as she smashed her claw down. The impact made the ground around them explode, and Yusuke grunted under the pressure of keeping her at bay.

"What's wrong, oh great mazoku? Too strong for you?" she asked mockingly. Just then, he fell back a little, dragging her with him. Her eyes widened in surprise as he pressed his finger to her chest.

"Spirit Gun!"

The energy exploded and the wolf demon was sent spiraling through the air before smashing into the ground outside the ring.

He slowly got up and smirked.

"Like hell, bitch! You need to try harder to beat me!"

The wolf demon attempted to get up, but taking the direct hit of spirit energy had done too much damage and she collapsed.

"Winner of the second match, Yusuke Urameshi!"

The announcer shrank at the amount of 'boos' and insults she received at that while he stepped down from the ring, panting.

"Damn, that was a pain," he panted as smoke rose from his body. "The bitch would've cooked my body if I hadn't hit her like that."

Out of the four women left standing, there were two that seemed particularly challenging, given Yusuke's current condition.

"You know, you could've used the spirit reflection blast, you wouldn't've gotten hurt," Kagome sighed, getting a glare.

"I don't know _how _to use the hag's technique."

"Really? I thought you were the one she passed the complete spirit wave on to? I can use that attack."

Yusuke growled and she put her hands up in a placating manner as she took in the opposing team.

"Sorry, my misunderstanding. But with wounds like those, will you be able to fight another battle?"

"You said the tiger can create explosions?"

Kagome nodded and he sighed.

"Honestly, if I had about twenty minutes, I think I could. But there's no way in hell I can fight again sooner than that."

"Well, we only have to win four fights, and that made number two, so hopefully you can rest."

A tall, black-haired woman rose up to the stage, staring at their team like they were a meal. Kagome, with a slight shiver, quickly realized the gleam was something else, and she jumped up to the ring. The woman frowned as she took a stance.

"What? You boys too scared to fight a girl like me?" she asked with a slight purr to her voice.

"No, I told them I'd be fighting you," Kagome said with a smirk. "Can't have you using your charm in a fight, right? It'd be too easy."

The succubus frowned as she took a step back.

"So, you know of my powers, then?"

"I know you're part succubus, but the other part I'm not so sure about."

"Third match, Kagome versus Shinihime! Begin!" the announcer yelled in sync with the bell.

Both women slowly circled the ring, keeping an equal distance from each other.

"You know, you're not as good as you think. I _am _part succubi, but I'm also part _in_cubi."

Kagome's eyes widened at that.

"Oh, shit."

"Yes, quite the predicament, isn't it?" she asked in a sultry voice.

"Not if I win first!" Kagome yelled. "Dance of Blades!" she yelled at the same time her fan fell into her hand and she swung it. The scythes of youki-infused wind blasted toward the seductress and she dove to the side.

"Oh, that wasn't very nice! You could've gotten my dress dirty," she said with irritation in her voice. "Why don't you just be a good little slut and not move?" she asked as their eyes met.

"Damn!" Kagome yelled as her body froze.

"Something the matter, _Kagome_?" she asked, using the miko's name like it was a dirty word. A blush formed on her face and she growled.

"You want to play with spells? Alright then!"

A quick chant left her lips and her entire body began to glow brightly. Then, she was suddenly able to move her arms, much to the demon's surprise.

"What!?"

"Blades of Blood!" she yelled before digging her claws into her palm and throwing the youki-infused blood at the off-guard demon. They dug into her skin and the spell on Kagome left.

"Ha! I'm not so weak," Kagome said before running toward the disoriented woman. Just before she dug her claws into her, the woman looked at Kagome and their eyes met once again.

"Damnit!" Kagome yelled as her body froze, inches from cutting into the demon.

Her eyes widened as a hand gently pressed to her cheek and her blush increased as the woman lowered her head to her own.

"Something the matter, _Kagome_? You know, I don't appreciate being attacked like that. You absolutely _ruined _my dress."

Kagome's eyes widened even further as Shinihime lowered her head even closer.

"Kiss of Death," the demon whispered in a low, sultry voice before pressing her lips to the frozen priestess's.

Immediately, power wrapped around them and Kagome paled. She found her body was slightly less restrained, but not enough to do any damage. So, she did the only thing she could do with that newfound mobility. She didn't reveal it until she could move further.

A soft moan from Shinihime came into her lips and Kagome's blush reached an even darker shade of red.

'_What the hell is she doing to me!? Why do I feel like this?'_ she screamed to herself as the power around them increased.

"Enjoying yourself, _Kagome_?" Shinihime asked with a smirk as she pulled away from the panting miko.

Kagome's hands tightened into fists and shot forward, smashing into the side of the demon's head. She fell back as Kagome's restraint vanished.

Shinihime's eyes widened as she felt Kagome's hand on her chest, and then she smirked.

"Well now, feeling me up during a fight is rather-"

She was cut off as power began to explode outward.

"Acid Claws," she bit out. Green energy exploded outward from Kagome's hand and the incubus/succubus hybrid reared back as her body was exposed to Sesshomaru's deadly poison.

Using the opportunity, Kagome rushed forward and grabbed Shinihime's hand.

"You lose!"

Shinihime was thrown from the ring as her energy transferred into Kagome's body, along with her own returning energy. Shinihime hit the ground with a thud and Kagome spat on the ground.

"She won't be getting back up for a while," she ground out to the announcer as she headed for her side of the ring.

"Umm…"

The announcer counted but stopped at four and Kagome spun. At the edge of the fairly-damaged ring was Shinihime, though she was panting, bleeding, and she had an ugly burn on her chest. Unfortunately, the burn was quickly healing, and that meant the half-incubus was now standing without a shirt.

Kagome's blush rose to an even darker shade of red and Shinihime snarled.

"You bitch! You ruined my dress! Entrance!" she screamed. A massive burst of youki flew across the ring and suddenly, Kagome's entire body went rigid.

Expressive eyes glared at the hybrid while she slowly sauntered toward her.

"You know, I was going to have a little fun enjoying your little body, but you pissed me off. So now, I'm going to make you lose in the most humiliating way I can."

Kagome's eyes widened as the hybrid lifted her hand and pressed it to her exposed breast. Shinihime then leaned forward and pressed her lips passionately to Kagome's, making her entire body shiver, though her brain knew it was wrong.

"You'll die," Shinihime whispered into the miko's mouth. Suddenly, a massive burst of golden energy rose from Kagome and the hybrid jumped back in shock. The energy quickly disappeared and Kagome growled, though her body and vocal chords were completely immobile.

"Naughty bitch!"

A claw swiped across Kagome's face and rivulets of blood fell from the five long, slender cuts across her cheek. Tears welled in Kagome's eyes, mostly from the sudden impact to her face and not the actual pain. A hand lightly lifted her chin and turned her face to be looking directly at the hybrid.

"Now then, if you're a good little bitch and beg like the submissive little whore I _know _you are, I might make it quick and end this while you still have some form of reputation. I imagine it looks bad to your teammates that you're not really fighting back, since they don't know what's happening," Shinihime said with a cruel smile. "Now beg."

Kagome's eyes bled red and Shinihime's eyes widened. Her hold on the woman shattered and Kagome stepped forward, lifting her off the ground with a claw around her throat.

"_Me_ beg for a filthy slut like _you _to not hurt me? Ha! You're not even _close _to my level!"

Shinihime's eyes widened as her head was swung downward into the ring by the claw around her throat. As she was lifted, she saw spots while red covered her other eye. And then, she felt a fist in her stomach and she coughed up a small puddle of blood.

"For what it's worth, if you hadn't tried to humiliate me, I wouldn't have to do this," Kagome whispered before dropping the hybrid. As she fell, Kagome's fist shot out and the demon was thrown from the ring with a painful-sounding _crack _upon impact with the ground.

Kagome breathed several deep, calming breaths while the announcer counted to five. She stepped down and sighed.

"Well that was a pain," she said as she walked past her confused teammates and sat cross-legged on the ground.

"Alright, fighters, take your places!"

The snake demon and Kurama rose onto the stage, and Kagome smirked. The difference between their powers would get them a quick final victory. At the edge of her senses, she felt energy approaching.

The approaching aura made her snarl, but she didn't get up.

"My my, quite the display, Kagome. So much more aggressive than when I ended your pathetic group," Naraku's voice said behind her. Kuwabara, Yusuke and Hiei jumped while she glared up.

"Get the hell away from me, you bastard. Our fight's in the finals."

'_I need to prepare for that teleportation spell, so I can't fight him now,' _Kagome thought absently to herself.

"Oh? Well, true to your word, aren't you?"

"Go away, I'm in a bad mood."

Naraku chuckled at that.

"You've definitely become more cynical, my dear little priestess. So, Kagome, why don't I just go ahead and tell your friends what kind of a woman you are?" Naraku asked darkly.

Kagome snarled as his team suddenly appeared behind him.

"What would the fun be in that? To mess with my head, you'd need to do better than that. That hybrid can probably do a better job. I guess the last few centuries made you lose your edge, huh?" she asked with a smirk.

"Oh, so arrogant. But you know, I wonder what your dear half-breed would say about your behavior as of late."

At that, Kagome rose, and her claws formed.

"I can _tell _you what he'd say. He'd ask me why I'm not ripping your head off right now. And the only reason is because you've got a plan, and I want to know what it is before falling for it like last time."

"Ah, dear little Kagome. You seem so arrogant. Perhaps that would go away if I were to tell your _friends _here what you did while I had you in my clutches. I wonder if they'd still side with you?"

Kagome's claws sharpened at that, and Naraku smirked.

"Oh yes, you were quite the little whore when in my castle," he said loudly so her teammates could hear.

"Whore nothing," she bit out. "Begging to die isn't shameful after having _that _done to me," she said through clenched fangs.

"If I remember correctly, in fact, you wandered around the dungeon for two days looking for somebody with a nice, big 'sword' for you."

Her teammates' eyes widened at that, but Kagome growled.

"It was in the past. I meant that in the literal sense, as killing myself seemed to be a nice alternative. And, in the end, I got away from you, didn't I? And gave you a nice, big, new scar in the process," she said, focusing on the dark wound on his neck.

"I suggest you leave now," a new voice said. Both of them looked at Hiei, who was growling at Naraku. "You're smell bothers me."

Recognition flashed in Naraku's eyes and he chuckled.

"So you're still alive, huh? I guess he didn't do a very good job. Well then, I guess I have to thank you for my birth, don't I, little Forbidden Child?"

With a laugh, his team vanished. Somewhere in the background, there was a yelp of pain and they turned to find Jahime wrapped in a long vine while blood fell from dozens of places along her body.

"Damn fox!" she yelled as poison began to form in her mouth. "Eat this!"

She spit a small, round spear of acid and Kurama dove to avoid it. It hit the ring and ate all the way through to the ground.

"Petals and Thorns!" Kurama yelled as he crushed a rose in his hand. Thousands of small rose petals engulfed Jahime and there was a loud hiss of pain as the blade-like petals cut her body. Unbeknownst to her, they were driving her back toward the edge of the ring, and just as she began to fall, they hit her in succession, knocking her completely unconscious.

"Kurama wins the match! Winner of the second set in round three, Team Urameshi!"

A bloody Kurama staggered off of the ring and the team left for the hotel in silence.

"Okay, that's it!" Yusuke suddenly exploded before grabbing Kagome's arm. "Tell me what the fuck is happening right _now_! First, you don't hurt that succubus, who you said you'd fight because we couldn't. _Then, _you beat the living shit out of her! And _then_, that guy showed up and said a whole lot of things you didn't deny."

Kagome glanced down at the hand on her arm and growled.

"Take your hand off of me. That bitch put me in a bad mood."

"Why the hell didn't you just hit her!?"

"She was half succubi, which is why I decided to take the fight. But what I didn't know was that her other half was _in_cubi. I was just as affected as you would've been, though probably a little less controlled."

"You were fucking _making out _in the middle of the ring!"

"I couldn't move!" Kagome bit out. "And seriously, take the hand off, now."

"I'm _ordering _you to tell me who that demon is!" he barked out. Suddenly, he found himself on the ground with a claw around his throat.

"First, I said to _take your hand off of me_! And _nobody _orders me around. I suffered to get my power, and there's not a _thing _that _you _can do to make me obey you like a little bitch," Kagome said, pressing down on his twisted wrist with every word she emphasized. "Now shut the hell up and I'll heal you," she said before letting him go and standing up.

She first went to Kurama and placed a hand on his chest. Their bodies glowed softly and the bloody wounds on him suddenly disappeared. Next was Hiei, though he had barely a small scratch after his own ice demon blood healed him.

Next was Yusuke, who growled as she placed her hand on his chest but instantly shut up as the wounds on him vanished.

"There. I'm going to see what we might be up against," she said before walking past them and back to the stadium…

A/N:

I know the names were pretty random, but I had to come up with something for their opponents so I could create this dramatic scene. I'm talking about Naraku's opponents. Kagome's actually mean something:

Hime- princess, Kiba- fang, Ja- snake, Rai- energy, and Shini- death

For those who don't know, succubi are female demons that enter the dreams of men and drain their life-forces through making them ejaculate, just as incubi are male demons that do this to women.

Also, this chapter is longer to make up for my previous chapter's relative shortness. Hope you enjoyed! Review!


	9. Echoes of the Past

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, YuYu Hakusho (As much as I'd love to) or any of the anime/manga characters.

Echoes of the Past

Kagome stood against the wall, watching the demons below fight with their psychic powers. The ring, by this point, was pretty much trashed.

There were explosions going off left and right while neither demon moved. It was actually pretty entertaining to watch, considering she could actually see the small, invisible creatures actually creating the explosions.

"Okay, enough of this!" the smaller of the two yelled.

Suddenly, all of the creatures around him blasted forward and his opponent was no more.

The announcer called his name and Kagome smirked. It was a good feeling to predict results and be right.

The next five matches went about the same, and by the end, Kagome was giddy with getting the end result right every single fight. Her senses were somehow increased tenfold, and she could sense the powers that the demons had, including the ones they were hiding.

"And that's the end of the third round! There will be an hour intermission before the fourth round starts with Team Urameshi and Team Tsuki!"

The stadium cleared out and Kagome walked to the ring, sighing.

"I _do _look forward to your other new abilities, Kagome," Naraku's voice said from behind her.

"I doubt that. I'm saving a few special ones, just for you."

"Oh? Like the powers you used to kill those filthy beasts that I beat before coming for you? I believe you said that was fifty percent of your power, right?"

"No. That was just letting loose. I didn't use any actual powers there."

"Oh? I believe you used that dog's sword to bring their corpses back to life. That was an act worthy of _my _cruelty, I may add."

"That wasn't a power, and you can rot in hell. I'm _nothing _like you, you bastard."

"Ah, is that so? I wonder if your teammates would agree."

"You can't use that as a threat, Naraku. Everybody important to me, you killed."

"Oh, but that's simply not true. What about those children you take care of? Or that hybrid? Or the old hag, for that matter?"

"Genkai could kill you in a second, and who I'm attracted to is none of your concern. As for my children, I doubt you'll touch them, because we _both _know that your death will be an eternity of agony and suffering before it's over if you do," she stated matter-of-factly.

"Ah, but you underestimate me, dear Kagome. With those little brats in my control, you'd hardly be able to do anything to me."

Kagome turned around and vaguely noticed her teammates, as well as Naraku's, watching intently.

"Tell me, if you're so sure of yourself, Naraku, why you're using a puppet right now."

The puppet's eyes widened as a claw separated its body and head before blue flames erupted along its entirety.

"So, you're his new spawn, huh?" he asked the surprised-looking team. Her eyes locked on the tallest one and fangs grew. "_You_, I've been very much hoping were here."

"Oh?" he asked. "Miss me?"

"By a few inches, last time. I'll make sure I don't make that mistake again. _That_, you can count on."

"You're less pure than I remember," the tall, older Kanna stated, looking at her. "I wonder if you can still damage my mirror."

"Want to find out?" she asked as a bow and arrow materialized in her outstretched hands.

The man in the cloak began laughing and she growled.

"Something funny?"

"You! It's hilarious! Naraku went on about how you were such a disgustingly pure miko, and yet _look _at you! It's so damn funny I might have to kill something."

His small, slanted blue eyes locked on her and immediately, he was serious.

"I don't like that look," he said in a deeper voice.

"If your _master_ wants to fight before this tournament is over, all he has to do is say so," she said to Kanna without taking her eyes off the tall man, Kurasa. "Make sure to tell him that. And I'm looking forward to ensuring that he's dead this time."

The team collectively snarled, and Kagome smirked.

"Wow. Really? Not a single one of you hates him? Huh. I guess he got the mind control thing down after Juromaru, Kaguromaru, Hakudoshi, Akago, and Kagura, huh?"

The long list of treasonous incarnations made Kanna growl.

"You know, they were all supposed to be my charges. Who do you think got punished for every one of their betrayals?"

"I'd feel sympathy for you if you hadn't, on more than one occasion, tried to steal my soul. Now then, unless some of you want to die prematurely, get out of my sight."

Their eyes widened as, on the last word, she let some of her youki flare and the bright sun above was choked out by the darkness around her. They quickly vanished and the power disappeared.

"Damn that felt good," she sighed before lying down next to the ring.

"You're a fool to so easily threaten the enemy," Hiei's voice said above her. She cracked one of her eyes open to stare at the apparition, who was sitting on the edge of the ring.

"A fool will always make foolish decisions, but when you have the ability to back your claims with proof, then it's not foolish," Kagome countered wisely.

"Hn."

"So, who wants to question me now?" she asked, feeling the other three staring at her.

"Why are you able to speak with that demon when you supposedly hate him?"

"Because I can try to figure out what his endgame is if I talk to him. He's an evil bastard, but he just _loves _to ramble on about his genius. I can probably figure out what he's planning if I can push the right buttons."

"And you somehow _know_ he's got a plan, right?" Yusuke asked suspiciously.

"You might not trust me. Hell, you probably shouldn't. But regardless of that, or maybe because of it, know that if you insinuate that I'm on _his _side, then I won't hesitate to hurt you."

"Then how, exactly, do you know he has a plan?" Kurama asked before the detective said something stupid.

"He always has a plan. Even his random, chaotic attacks were part of some plan or another in the Feudal Era. And I don't doubt that he somehow knew I'd be here, which means he came here wanting to fight, which means he has a plan," she concluded.

A soft pulse of white energy formed from Kagome's chest and her eyes widened. Suddenly, she sensed a familiar power source nearby. Without thinking, she jumped up and vanished. When she reached the jewel shard's location, she found a man draped in black standing in front of her.

"Who are you?" she asked.

The man lunged forward and swung at her with a claw. He quickly began chasing her with more ferocious swings each time he went to strike.

"Why do you have a jewel shard?"

The man continued to swing at her without making a comment.

"Don't mind if I just take it!"

Kagome ducked under his claw and reached into his cloak. Her fingers almost wrapped around the small crystal of power when he jumped back. And, as he jumped back, his cloak fell away.

"W… What?" she asked, staring at the man's golden eyes.

A cruel smile spread across his face and he lunged for her again.

"I really _hate _illusions!"

Kagome began to swing her own claw only to find her hand stopped itself an inch from his throat. He reached forward and gently petted her head, making her eyes widen.

"You're _not _him! Don't touch me!" she screamed as she grabbed his wrist. When he pulled back, she swung a claw at his red uniform. The part holding the last jewel shard fell to the ground and she quickly pulled it to her with the wind. The jewel shard fell into her hand and she smiled victoriously.

"I don't know how stupid you are, but bringing the only remaining jewel shard to me was a very bad idea. And on top of that, you smell like Naraku."

She grabbed her sword and swung in one quick movement.

"Wind Scar!"

Youki exploded outward and the demon quickly erected a barrier around his Inuyasha illusion.

"What's wrong, Kagome? Aren't you happy to see me again?" he asked in Inuyasha's voice. "And to attack me with my own sword, too! Have you lost your mind, wench!?"

Kagome's eyes widened as the Tetsusaiga pulsed, apparently as angry as she was.

"You're _not him_! I watched him die! I have his soul inside of me! You're going to suffer!" she yelled before the sword flashed black. "Enjoy wherever the hell you end up, you bastard! Meidou Zangetsuha!"

She swung and the illusion vanished in the black hole that was formed.

"Now come out, you coward!"

Power filled the clearing and suddenly, out of the trees, every one of her friends stumbled out of the trees, making her eyes bleed red.

"Something the matter, Kagome?" Miroku asked, making her fangs lengthen.

"Listen up, you bastard," she said to where she knew the illusionist was. "Make them go away and stop pissing me off and I promise I'll make your death quick. I may not be completely sane, but I know who's dead, and these illusions are making your life shorten rapidly."

A small chuckle came from the air and she snarled.

Suddenly, she heard something whipping through the air and she blocked the massive boomerang that was coming at her. A small burst of power warned her to what was coming next and she gasped.

"Damn!"

"Wind Tunnel!"

A massive vortex of air began to pull her and she snarled.

"You're _not _Miroku! How do you have his power!?"

The monk's illusion smirked and the pulling force of the wind increased. Just then, she heard a loud sound to her right and gasped as the massive boomerang flew into her side. She was flung into a tree and her vision slightly dimmed.

"Damn… it…"

A claw went around her throat and she stared up at the blurry image of Inuyasha, smiling cruelly down at her.

"What's the matter, _Kagome? _Not so tough without me around, are you?"

"Screw you," she bit out.

"I would, but you look so much better," he whispered, his mouth an inch from her ear.

Her eyes widened as she felt a claw reach down into her armor and grab her breast.

"You bastard! Let me go!"

He smirked as he began to pull the material covering her chest down.

"I'll fucking kill you!" she yelled.

"Oh, but I'm already dead, Kagome. And you certainly didn't help."

He slightly dug into her soft flesh and she winced at the blood that came forth. That's when she remembered the Tetsusaiga, and she snarled furiously.

"Iron Reaver!"

She brought her hand down across his face and he jumped back with a yelp.

"Wind Tunnel!"

She reached down and lifted her blade as the vortex formed again.

"You twisted bastards should have just left well enough alone!" she snarled as she smashed her blade down into the ground, along with Inuyasha. "Wind Scar!"

The ground exploded and hit the Miroku illusion.

"That's enough!"

She jumped high into the air and snarled.

"MEIDOU ZANGETSUHA!" she yelled at the top of her lungs as she swung the sword in a complete arc over the enemies. A massive black hole formed and then, everything nearby was gone in a massive, sparking explosion of energy.

The entire forest was gone to wherever she'd thrown the enemies, and she smirked.

"Take that, you bastard," she snarled before pulling her armor back on.

Suddenly, something formed next to her and wrapped around her throat. She looked to her side and glared at the small man choking her.

"Those were some of my best creations, you bitch."

Kagome swung her blade and its motion was stopped as he put his other hand in front of it, completely cutting it off.

"You know, you probably should have brought your friends with you."

"I don't have any friends," she choked out.

"No? Well then, I guess my creations bothering you was just in my imagination. I wonder, though. What would your reaction be if I were one of your teammates doing this?"

His body suddenly shapeshifted and now, it was Kurama choking her. She smirked.

"Something funny?"

"Yeah. Kitsune are too intelligent to kill by choking someone to death. You'd have to do better than that."

He frowned and suddenly, the body changed again. This time, it was Kuwabara choking her. Her smirk grew into a complete smile.

"He's too nice to kill someone this way. Not that you can kill me. This is amusing, though. Who's next?"

He growled and the body changed to that of Yusuke.

"There you go! Now _him, _I can believe would kill someone by choking them."

"Shut up, you traitorous bitch!" he snarled in Yusuke voice.

"Oh, wow! You know, you can put on a pretty good freak show with talent like that," Kagome said with an arrogant smirk. "Well, this is all amusing and all, but I think that I should probably get back to the ring."

Yusuke's other hand went around her throat and Kagome's eyes widened as youki began to eat at her skin.

"I'll kill you!"

Kagome grabbed his forehead and suddenly, his body exploded with his own youki.

"What!?"

"Stupid demon. If it had been three years ago, I probably would've broken down crying, but it's hard to use those things against others when they no longer feel connections to people. Well, thanks for the jewel shard," she said before swinging the Tetsusaiga. His body fell in half and she sighed.

She pulled the small orb out from under her armor and placed the newly acquired shard in the only spot remaining. A massive column of pink energy exploded upward from the jewel and wrapped around Kagome.

"I wonder how a demon like that got the jewel shard, though," she sighed.

"Why, that's very simple. I gave it to him," Naraku said behind her. His hand snaked forward and wrapped around the jewel. "How does it feel to be so easily fooled, koromiko?"

The jewel began to glow purple and Kagome growled. Suddenly, a burst of power filled the air and before them stood a young woman, taking in their position with curiosity.

"Hello, Kagome," she said softly.

"Umm… Hello, Midoriko…"

"So, the jewel is finally complete then?"

Kagome nodded and the miko looked at the two.

"Well, since there are two of you, each one of you gets a wish, I guess…"

Before Naraku could talk, Kagome smirked.

"I know it's a selfish wish, but I wish that he cannot wish for anything."

Naraku's eyes widened along with Midoriko's.

"Really? You aren't going to wish for your friends to be brought back from the dead or for the jewel to be destroyed?"

"As long as the jewel doesn't cause any further harm, I don't really care if my soul is damned," she said sincerely.

Midoriko's eyes closed and a small smile formed on her lips.

"Very well then. Your wish shall be granted. Because your wish was a selfless one, the jewel will be destroyed and Naraku cannot further use it for evil purposes."

Kagome's eyes widened at that, making Midoriko smirk.

"Why the surprise? Your wish was that the jewel could not be used for evil. That's a selfless wish, and you were even willing to damn your soul in your thinking that it wasn't."

The jewel flashed bright white and vanished from Kagome's hand while Naraku staggered back.

Midoriko stepped closer to Kagome and whispered while Naraku, who had no more reason to be there, turned and disappeared.

"Thank you for freeing me, Kagome. Though, I have to wonder if you'd planned that."

"Hey, after fighting him so long, I picked up the art of being devious," Kagome said with a shrug. "And it worked."

"I suppose so. Well, I have to be going to the afterlife, now. Just, two things before I go. Everyone feels vengeance. Feeling it doesn't make you impure, as you seem to think. That being said, you shouldn't let it completely rule your life."

"If Naraku's alive, I can't let anything else distract me," Kagome sighed.

"It's true. Many connections _can _be distracting. But think about Inuyasha. Having a lack of a connection to him may have lead to the miserable end he received. Perhaps if either of you had moved on it, you could've been happy, at least for a little bit."

"What are you saying?"

"I believe you know what I'm saying. And you shouldn't feel guilty for being attracted to another. Inuyasha was irreplaceable, but that doesn't mean you don't deserve another being for comfort and love."

Kagome blushed and she looked down at the ground.

"It's not like I'm _that _attracted to him… It just kind of started in that cave…"

"Yes, well, that may be true as well. But my point remains, Kagome."

"I'll keep that in consideration… So, what was the other thing you wanted to tell me?"

"Oh, right… While the jewel itself has been destroyed, the power in it would be impossible to get rid of."

"Alright… So where did it go?"

"You, of course. Your power will be increased a thousandfold now."

Kagome's eyes widened, and Midoriko smiled.

"You _are _its protector, of course. So it's only natural that the indestructible power of my soul would become part of you."

Kagome looked at the ground and let her bangs cover her eyes.

"Midoriko, let me ask you something… I recently realized that I'm like Kikyo with all of the souls inside of me… How do I put my families' souls to rest?"

Midoriko reached forward and gently lifted Kagome's chin, making Kagome's teary eyes meet with her own.

"Their souls already _are _at rest. They were put to rest when they died."

"Then how-"

"All of their powers, all of their knowledge, and all of their abilities were passed on to you as their souls would never be returning to this plane. They wanted to leave their closest friend, or love in Inuyasha's case, with their earthly possessions, including their families."

Kagome's body shook and she suddenly embraced the ancient miko's soul.

"Thank you, Midoriko…"

"Now, I believe you should go. Your fight started."

Kagome's eyes widened as she felt her teammates' power flaring. That's when she noticed that, judging by the daylight, that she'd been in the clearing for at least an hour.

Midoriko's form began to glow with a brilliant blue light and then, she was gone…

Everyone stepped up to the ring.

"Where the hell did that bitch go!?" Yusuke growled.

"Perhaps it would have been intelligent to have someone follow her," Kurama sighed.

"Hn. Either way, we will be fighting without her for a while, it seems," Hiei said, his Jagan taking in the fight the girl was in. He didn't know exactly who the people she was fighting were, but they seemed to be having a rather adverse affect on her.

"These guys seem pretty tough, but I don't think they're anything we can't beat," Kuwabara said as he observed their opponents' energies.

"Yes, well they _are _in the fourth round, so it would be best not to be too incautious of them," Kurama noted as he observed their opponents' cocky expressions.

"Does anyone else notice that they, too, are missing a member?" Hiei observed.

"Yes, that _is _rather troubling."

"Don't worry, he's busy. We won't need him to beat you, anyway," a small crocodile demon sneered.

"And what exactly is he 'busy' doing?" Kurama asked.

"Oh, some hanyo gave him some jewel and told him to kill that little whore on your team."

Hiei's eyes widened at that, and both Kurama and Yusuke noticed.

"A hanyo, you say?"

That's when he saw the kurohanyo from before in a massive crater next to Kagome. And in her hand was a massive, glowing orb.

"I believe your teammate has just expired."

The crocodile demon smirked.

"I doubt that, Forbidden Child. That slut doesn't stand a chance against my brother."

Hiei smirked at that.

"Your arrogance is rather amusing."

'_Perhaps you would like to fill us in, Hiei?'_ Kurama's voice said in his head.

"Hn."

"Fighters, take your places!" the announcer yelled.

The crocodile demon stepped up onto the ring and Hiei smirked before he, too, stepped up.

"And now, the final match of the fourth round, Team Urameshi versus Team Tsuki! Hiei versus Ryusa, begin!" the announcer yelled.

The crocodile demon's long jaws opened as a swirling ball of youki formed within. He bit down and it shot outward, making Hiei jump out of the way.

"Fool," Hiei sighed as he formed behind the demon and swung his blade. It hit his scaly hide and bounced backward.

"Fool. My skin's too tough for your wimpy little sword to beat."

"Well then, I guess I'll just have to kill you other ways."

The demon smirked as Hiei threw a fireball at him. It hit him and was nothing but smoke afterward.

It opened its mouth again and a massive ball of youki shot out at Hiei. Despite it being nearly point-blank, he easily dodged the attack.

Unfortunately, the attack continued, and spun mid-air to attack him again.

"Moonlight Oblivion!"

The ball shot at a speed almost too fast for Hiei to follow and smashed into his forehead. Suddenly, he was blind save for a few shadows here and there.

"Ha! That should teach you to be arrogant, you little bastard!"

A sharp, stabbing pain filled Hiei as the crocodile clamped down on his abdomen. Blood dripped to the ring as a loud chorus of cheers erupted throughout the stadium.

"Oh, wow! Ryusa has _bitten _Hiei! I wonder if that was a smart move," the announcer yelled. Just then, Hiei grabbed both sides of the demon's head and smirked.

"_Who _is arrogant?"

The crocodile's eyes widened as the apparition's hand went down into his open jaw. Just as he began to clamp down, a massive fire shot outward and his body melted internally, falling to the ground as ashes.

"Umm… Winner Hiei!"

Hiei walked the way he remembered the edge of the ring was and jumped down, trying to clear his vision.

"Hiei, are you alright?" Yusuke's voice asked.

"Hn. I'm not too weak to fight, detective, if that's what you're asking."

"That's not what he was saying, Hiei," Kurama sighed exasperatedly.

Laughing filled the other side of the ring.

"You know, without our fourth and fifth members, this may be rather boring. What do you say we three fight you three?"

Suddenly, a massive power filled the air and Hiei's head whipped around.

"Who said I'm not here?" a feminine voice asked.

"What!? That's impossible! Tsukihaku should've beaten you!"

A strange warmth suddenly rested on Hiei's forehead and he growled.

"Oh, stop being so dramatic and let me heal it."

Power filled him the second he relaxed and his vision quickly returned from all three of his eyes.

"There you go," she said with a smile. It vanished the second she looked at their opponents.

"So, which one of you was working with Naraku?"

All three stared at her blankly and she smirked.

"Alright then. I'll tell you what."

She quickly turned to the four and whispered a question, which had all of them staring wide-eyed at her.

Reluctantly, all of them nodded and she turned back with a smirk.

"Alright, so my teammates don't have a problem. I'll fight all three of you simultaneously. If you win, then you win the match. But if you lose, we do."

They stared at her like she was the most terrifying thing they'd ever seen.

"Umm… That's alright. You killed our boss. We're out."

They spun and began running when suddenly, their bodies were ripped apart.

There was a shocked silence as a tall man dressed in a white suit walked out of the tunnel they'd been running toward.

"Excuse me, mademoiselle. It seems my… _friends _are too scared of you. But I, for one, would be more than happy to fight you."

The power coming from his body made Kagome nervous.

"So, the same rules apply. We'll fight, and whoever wins will win the match. Deal?"

Kagome eyed him warily and a devilish smirk formed as he stepped up to the stage.

"Something the matter?"

"Something up, Kagome?" Yusuke asked.

"There's something off about his energy," she whispered.

"If you'd like, I could allow your whole team to come up and help you if I make you nervous," he said in a mocking tone.

"Do you believe that fighting him will be a problem?" Kurama asked.

"No… But he can summon something, and whatever it is, there's a lot of power behind it. I can probably fight him alone, but there's another power that I somehow can't read…"

"So?" Yusuke asked obliviously.

"I've been able to read every demon's power today throughout every fight. But for some reason, I can't figure out what his power is…"

"And this is a problem?" Kurama asked curiously.

"I don't like fighting blind. Too many situations where that lead to bad results came up…"

"Something the matter?" the man asked, obviously enjoying their conversation. "Really, I have no problem with you bringing someone up to help you."

"Oh, I know you don't," Kagome bit out.

"Team Urameshi, pick your fighter," the announcer sighed.

"His power _is _rather troubling," Hiei said as he eyed the man on the ring. "I'll help you fight."

With a nod, Kagome and Hiei jumped up to the ring.

"Oh? So you need someone's help?"

"_You _have help, so why not?" Kagome said, making his smirk wider.

"The final fight of the final match in the fourth round! Tsukiryuhaku versus Kagome and Hiei! Fight!"

The man, Tsukiryuhaku, smiled darkly. He slowly lifted his arms to either side of him and a dark, purple energy shot up around him.

"You know, that fool you killed was my brother."

"And?" Kagome bit out.

"Oh, nothing. Just making conversation. You should know that the one that talked Naraku into giving him the shard was me. That hanyo and I go back several centuries."

Kagome's eyes bled red at that.

"I see… You should know that he failed in his plan."

"Did he? Oh, that's too bad. And what of the jewel?" he asked as the torrent of power around him increased.

"It's gone."

"Well then, you really have no point in this world anymore, do you?"

Suddenly, Tsukiryuhaku clapped his hands together and the energy around him exploded. The ring suddenly disintegrated and a large, shadowy creature formed. Both Kagome and Hiei stared at the forming dragon with wide eyes.

"You know, one of my ancestors was a dragon that bitch miko sealed with her," the man said darkly.

"Sorry about that, but it's got nothing to do with me," she said as she lifted her fan.

"Oh no? I thought you were the Shikon no Tama's guardian miko," he said, making her body stiffen. The entire audience began to fill with whispers and rage-filled yells.

"A miko!? Why the hell is a _miko _here!?"

"Kill her!"

Kagome eyed the man's cocky grin and sighed.

"Okay, you're good. So, what's the plan here? To make it so I can't sleep on this island?"

"Oh, of course not. After we're done, you'll be dead. But a loud, obnoxious audience is a very good distraction."

The dragon wrapped around the man's body and he smirked as black eyes glared at its two enemies.

"Okay, this is bad, Hiei. You take the dragon and I'll take its master," she whispered.

"Agreed," he said as his sword was pulled from its sheath.

"Oh, shall we get started then?"

The dragon uncoiled itself from the man and launched through the air toward Kagome and Hiei. The two immediately separated and Kagome charged at the dragon's master.

"So, you're a dragon? Then let me show you a special little attack made for you. Dance of the Dragon!" she yelled as she swung her fan. The youki blasted outward and massive spirals of blade-like wind swung at him.

"Oh, that was rather rude," he said as he landed a few feet away from her.

"You think so? Then I guess I'll have to try harder to make it rather _painful_!"

She lunged forward, swinging a claw at his throat.

There was an explosion of power behind them and she was distracted by the sight of Hiei wrapped in the jaws of the massive, purple dragon.

"Shouldn't worry about him," a voice said next to her. Her eyes widened as a claw caught the side of her face. She smashed face-first into the ring and bounced high into the air with blood falling from her busted lips.

She quickly swung her fan and a large draft caught her body, stopping her momentum. Using the wall of air, she kicked off and flew down toward the ring.

As she passed the dragon, she hit it with a burst of purifying energy. With a pained roar, its jaws separated and Hiei jumped away.

"Onna, you should worry more about yourself," he sighed before landing. "Sword of the Darkness Flame!"

His sword became engulfed in black energy and he launched forward. When the dragon met his sword, another surge of power formed and the dragon vanished in a light violet explosion.

Without having to worry about that, Kagome turned and faced her opponent again.

"Oh, so sure of yourselves," he sighed. "Let me introduce you to my army," he said before swinging his hand in an overhead arc. Several massive columns of his energy rose from the ground and transformed into even bigger dragons.

Hiei grabbed the wraps on his arm and smirked.

"Don't make me laugh, fool."

The wraps fell from his skin and youki flared around his entire being. The dragons around Tsukiryuhaku launched forward and black flames engulfed Hiei's arm.

"Dragon of the Darkness Flame!"

The massive, black dragon from before launched through the air from around Hiei's arm and the purple dragons began to battle it.

"It's one dragon sided with a foolish half-breed against an _army _of dragons _under _a dragon! Your pathetic creature will lose," the demon sneered as the purple dragons began to push Hiei's creature back.

"What!?" Hiei barked, his eyes narrowed in hate.

Kagome walked slowly to Hiei and put her hand _in _the dragon's flames. Suddenly, an incredible burst of golden energy entered the black power stream and the Dragon roared. Suddenly, the other dragons in its path were gone in one large chomp.

"No!"

The Dragon continued toward Tsukiryuhaku, who snarled.

"Don't trifle with me, you measly shadow of a beast!"

He swung his hand out and suddenly, the dragon's massive form exploded like broken glass.

Tsukiryuhaku's dark, black eyes glared at the two while Hiei gaped at where his creature had previously been.

"I'll kill you!"

Tsukiryuhaku's body exploded in a black energy as dark as a moonless night. Suddenly, the white suit around him was in ruins as his muscles tripled in size. His short, blond hair grew to be shoulder-length and midnight black. A long, curved horn grew from his forehead as two long, slender, gargoyle-like wings formed.

A forked, snake-like tongue left his mouth as his legs grew to be twice as long as before, making him enormous.

"I'm going to devour you for my ancestor," he snarled as his long wings beat against the ground, lifting him into the ground.

"Hiei, get back," Kagome whispered. He stared at her like he was insane, but didn't miss the hard edge to her voice.

He quickly jumped to the edge of the ring as youki built around her.

"Your _ancestor _is one of the reasons I'm damned," she said as a massive spray of fire and youki launched from the dragon's mouth. She dragged the Tetsusaiga from its sheath as the attack advanced. Youki began to wrap around her and she glared at the dragon with dark, scarlet eyes.

"I'm looking forward to killing Naraku. I really am," she sighed as the energy got closer. "I've already released Midoriko from the jewel's evil, and now I'm going to finish what I started with Naraku before," she snarled as the energy sped up its path toward her.

"This is for Midoriko, and my friends, and everyone that suffered because of that jewel," she snarled. The spray reached her and she swung the large blade into the youki. "BACKLASH WAVE!"

A massive explosion of youki wrapped around the dragon's fire and shot upward in a spiral along with a massive surge of yellow energy.

The dragon released a loud, echoing scream as its own youki slowly tore him apart.

As the dragon fell to the ground, Kagome slowly walked toward it with the sword raised high over her head.

As soon as she was looming over him, a burst of purple energy shot up and she found herself in the jaws of no less than ten purple dragons.

"Don't make me laugh!"

She snarled and in one sweep of the blade, the dragons were no longer there, though the bloody wounds and pain remained.

"Now then, I'm going to give Naraku a little show of what I plan on doing to him," she snarled before lifting the dragon by his throat. Green energy poured forth from her claw and slowly, the scaly flesh under her grip began to melt.

"Die!"

She threw him into the air and as he fell down, she swung her blade. It cleaved him in half and both parts of the dragon returned to his humanoid form, though his black eyes were now completely and utterly dim and lifeless.

"And that's only a little show," she spat before turning around and jumping off of the stage, though she'd been almost the entire way to their opponents' side. As she landed, she looked up at the crowd. "And any of you weaklings that want to try to kill me, think about that," she said while gesturing to the corpse with her massive sword. She then sheathed it and walked past her gaping teammates.

Hiei finally regained his posture and left the arena as the dragon's body erupted into blue flames.

"I'm… not really sure what just happened… but I think it's safe to say Team Urameshi moves on to the semi-finals," the announcer said quietly. The oppressing silence in the audience was so strong that not a single demon made a sound as the team left.

"Kagome, what the _fuck _was that!?" Yusuke barked, though he didn't expect an answer anymore. So, he was surprised.

"It's called the Backlash Wave. It takes my enemy's youki and uses it against them," she sighed.

"Quite the technique… This is one of your powers you've been hiding?"

"Not hiding. I just wasn't angry enough to use it."

"I understand that he was our enemy, but what exactly did he do to anger you? He barely said a thing," Kurama observed.

"And what was with that power boost you gave to Hiei's dragon?" Kuwabara asked. "That was one hell of a spike in energy."

"He told me that his ancestor was one of the three demons that killed Midoriko. That made him the descendent to a demon that caused me a _lot _of agony over the years, and that made him someone I could never forgive."

"Midoriko?"

"The miko that formed the Shikon no Tama with her soul as a way to seal the demons she was fighting."

"That dragon called you its 'guardian.' What was he talking about?"

"I was born with the jewel inside of me. If you want to know anything else, ask your boss. I don't care anymore," Kagome said as she staggered into the woods. That's when the demons noticed the strong smell of blood trailing her.

"Oi! What the hell happened to you!?"

"Nothing important," she said before her presence vanished…

A/N:

Okay, let me start by saying that I had a FANTASTIC time writing this chapter. I wanted to make a descendent of one of Midoriko's enemies, and I think I pulled that off well. Of course, that is my opinion, and I'd love to hear what others have to say about it.

Their opponent's name actually means something, for those who don't know. Tsuki means moon, ryu means dragon, and haku means spirit. So, his name, in kanji, would be Moon-dragon-spirit. Tada! The name fits, doesn't it?

Also, for anyone that doesn't understand, the Team Tsuki members were ripped apart by Tsukiryuhaku's massive youki.

So, tell me what you think of the plot so far! Tell me anything on your mind about my story. I hope you've enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed writing it!


	10. Hubris

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, YuYu Hakusho (As much as I'd love to) or any of the anime/manga characters.

Hubris

Kagome staggered into her room and fell onto the bed as the wound started to annoy her. She's gone overboard in waiting to use the backlash wave, and the dragon's youki had coursed into the wound on her chest. Blood now began to soak through her armor, and she took it off with inhuman speed.

As the last piece of armor fell to the ground, she looked at the long stream of blood rolling from her chest, where the small knick had widened to be a long, jagged cut.

"Damnit…"

She walked to the bathroom and began to run the water while pulling the medical supplies out of her bag.

"Kagome?" a soft voice asked outside the door.

"Hey, Keiko."

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Kagome sighed as the tub reached an acceptable level of water.

As she slid in, the water instantly turned pink.

"Are you sure? There's blood all over the floor! Is Yusuke alright?"

"Yusuke's fine. He'll be here in a few minutes."

"Why are you back? Did the fight last long?"

"The fight took a while, but nobody got hurt in the end."

"Nobody but you, right?"

"I can handle pain," Kagome sighed through the door.

"This amount of blood… Kagome, can I come in for a second?"

"I don't see why not," Kagome sighed. The door slowly opened and Keiko entered. The second her eyes fell on Kagome's cut, they widened almost comically.

"Oh my god! Did the demon you were against do that!?"

"No. It was a demon before the fight… Though my opponent certainly didn't help it. Stop worrying, it'll be fine."

Bronze energy flowed from the wound and slowly, it closed.

"I'm dizzy," Kagome sighed as all of the power she'd recently used caught up to her. With a groan, her eyes closed and she blacked out…

Yusuke knocked on the door before throwing it wide open.

"Keiko, have you seen Kagome?"

Keiko turned on her knees and shushed him before turning back around. The men gathered around her to find Kagome, reeking of blood and having the uneven breathing of someone unconscious.

Around her body was a small, jagged coating of golden energy.

"What the hell happened to her!?"

"I don't know… She was bleeding all over the place, and then she fell unconscious in the shower…"

"The onna's wound was rather large," Hiei sighed. When all of them looked at him, he glared. "The wound she received before showing up at the arena was a cut to her chest. The dragon's youki, along with all of the power that she used in her attack made that small scrape into a rather large, scarring wound."

"That's along the lines of what she was saying before she blacked out," Keiko said sadly, not noticing the speculative looks the others were giving the apparition.

"How is it, Hiei, that you happen to know how a supposed wound came to be?" Kurama asked suspiciously.

"Ain't it obvious? The little prick used his Jagan to spy on her," Yusuke growled.

"I wasn't spying, fool. She was in a rather dangerous fight, and I was observing to see if her powers were anything to fear."

"I see… And what was your answer?"

Hiei looked down at the miko and frowned.

"She has a rather dangerous edge when using her more secretive powers… I believe that, despite my own biases, that we can trust her long enough to get through this tournament."

"And just what kind of 'power' was she using!?" Yusuke yelled again. Keiko jumped up and grabbed his arm, pulling him toward the door while the other three followed.

"What the hell, Keiko!?"

"You're going to wake her up if you keep yelling, Yusuke," she scolded.

"I don't give a damn! She's got explaining to do!"

Hiei grabbed Yusuke's arm and he glared at the apparition.

"What!? Do _you _have something to say, Hiei? You seem to be protective of her," Yusuke accused.

"I would suggest, detective, that you shut up. If you remember, she gave you permission to look into it yourself, so let the onna rest from taking on a high S-Class demon by herself while I was being eaten by a dragon. Not that she owes any of us a damned thing."

With that, he released a stunned Yusuke and vanished.

"Did… Hiei just defend someone's honor?" Kuwabara asked with awe in his voice.

"The guy's nuts! I swear that he's got to be screwing her," Yusuke sighed as he looked at where the apparition had been.

"What makes you say that?" Kurama asked curiously.

"That's not the first time he's defended that bitch," Yusuke growled.

Suddenly, there was a burst of power from inside the previously occupied room and Yusuke was suddenly being pressed against the wall with a massive, crushing wind. The door in front of the surprised team slowly opened and Kagome stepped out, her eyes as golden as the aura wrapped around her.

"You will not insult this woman," she said in a dark, cruel voice.

"Who the hell are you!?" Yusuke choked out.

"I'm Kagome's demonic instincts. And I don't like it when someone who _literally _knows nothing about her insults her."

"Screw you!"

She walked past the others and wrapped a claw lightly around his throat.

"Listen well, mazoku. Kagome, as a demonic miko who gained powers through souls of the dead as well as someone that killed a priest to defend a hanyo, is _still _purer than a man like you will ever be," she said darkly.

Yusuke snarled at her and began to swing her fist. Suddenly, a strong wind caught his fist and Kagome smirked.

"I'd advise against that. Kagome may be on your side, but I have no allegiances to you. I suggest that you play nice with her, or I'll be sure to come back. And I _won't _be this nice next time."

The crushing wind as well as her fist left Yusuke and he fell to the ground, retching as Kagome turned toward the room.

"Oh, and one more thing. While that apparition Hiei seems to be rather _interesting_ to me, Kagome seems to have legitimate emotions regarding him. Kagome hasn't felt legitimate emotion toward anyone since I was born. So, I'd be rather angry if you were to screw that up for her. Do you understand me?" she asked, her body freezing in place. Yusuke glared at her back and a dark chuckle left her.

"Good. Now, if you'd all be so considerate, both Kagome and I need some sleep."

She slid through the doorway and suddenly, the power emanating from Kagome vanished, along with the darkness throughout the hallway.

"Well that was rather… interesting," Kurama observed. "Perhaps we should leave her alone, for the night."

"Whatever," Yusuke growled before walking to their room, Keiko holding his arm tightly to her…

Hiei silently slid into the room, staring at the bronze energy surrounding the only occupant.

Of course, he'd disappeared to see what kind of reaction he'd get, but the onna's instincts hadn't been what he'd expected. He'd found the detective's pummeling rather amusing, but Kagome's, albeit unconscious, confession of feelings had him rather nervous. _Nobody _felt emotions like what she'd described towards _him_, a Forbidden Child.

He sat against the windowsill, watching her as she slept.

As time passed, he found that the barrier around her mind had slackened slightly. He carefully slipped into her mind and found that he was seeing her dream…

**Dream**

"Inuyasha," a feminine voice said as though it were question.

"Yeah?"

"I think I'm having a weird dream."

"Well," a man with long, silver hair said before dropping down next to her, "what do you think?"

"I don't know… Usually, I only have these kind of dreams when I have a serious moral dilemma to deal with," Kagome sighed.

"Well, what kind of problem do you have right now?"

"I have three, and all of them are getting to me…"

"Well, it's your dream. So, what's the problem, wench?" Inuyasha asked, brining a smile to her face at the familiar tone and actions.

"Well, first off, I have to kill Naraku…"

"So? You did it before."

"Before, I was in the heat of the moment, and I acted without thinking about what I was doing… But now, I have time to think about it. I _know _that he's evil and has to die, but for some reason I have this creeping feeling that my morals are going to get in my way."

"Well, you always _were _over the top in your kindness. But I think that you'll do what's right, out of duty if nothing else," he sighed. "So what else is bugging you?"

"I'm starting to let hatred consume me… That dragon that I fought with hadn't really done anything overly bad, that I know of. But just the fact that he was related to one of the three demons that killed Midoriko made me explode. I killed him using a horrifically tormenting method…"

"Mikos are born to hate demons," Inuyasha said with a shrug. "Maybe it's just catching up to you now."

"But I don't hate _demons_. I just hate _those _demons. And I don't even know why. If it hadn't been for the jewel, I never would have met you or anyone else. I would have lived a long, boring, unfulfilling life without it… But I just feel so angry lately…"

"Well, I think that you secretly resent the jewel. You were its protector and you were the one that had that destiny forced on you. Had it not happened, you never would have met any of your friends, and you wouldn't have suffered their deaths."

"That's a good point… You know, I think I'd prefer if you went back to talking like Inuyasha and not me," she sighed.

"Alright. So what's your other problem?"

"Hiei… You know, I don't know when it started or why it did, but I started feeling attracted to him…"

"And you feel bad about that because… he's a Forbidden Child?" Inuyasha asked, gauging her reaction.

"No! That's got nothing to do with it… I was in love with yo… Inuyasha… for a few years, and he was also called a 'half-breed.' It angers me when people insult anyone because of how they were born. I feel bad because I think falling in love with someone will be a grave insult to yo… Inuyasha's memory."

"Why? Think about it for a second. His dying words were admitting that he loved you. But he _did _die. It would be more of an insult to his memory if you suffered for the rest of your life because you think you can't love anyone."

Kagome looked down at the ground as tears fell.

"I don't know what to do… And, not only am I so screwed up since everyone died that I don't feel anything for anybody but my children, but I think that I scare him. Let that sink in for a second. _I _scare a psychic demon that had a _Jagan _implanted into his forehead to control a dragon from the very depths of hell…"

"Hm… Maybe you should just ask him what he thinks when you wake up."

"I can't do that… Everyone close to me is dead _because _of me… I can't let anyone else close to me."

"You say that, but you keep those children under you. Obviously, you still have people that are close to you," he sighed.

"I know… Well, thank you for the advice," she sighed before everything faded to darkness…

**End of Dream**

Hiei's eyes widened as her mind shut itself again.

His mind was racing at the possible implications of the dream. For starters, she'd just admitted that she had emotions, in her own mind's control, towards him. Of course, it was a dream and Hiei, being the psychic that he was, knew better than most that lies could be told in dreams. But he hadn't felt a single speck of dishonesty in that dream.

That brought up other things in his mind. For starters, how attractive he suddenly found her with the possibility of actually having her. She was _incredible _compared to most women, with her tanned skin and brilliant eyes, though the color seemed to change on a whim.

Her curved body would drive most men, human _and _demon, insane. And Hiei knew this, looking back to when they'd met and how he'd reacted to her very presence. She'd made him absolutely furious when she hadn't shown any fear, but he respected power more than anything else in the world. And she _definitely _had power.

So, that answered whether or not he was attracted to her. Did he like her? Well, he didn't technically 'like' anyone, but she was almost as close as Yukina came. Did he trust her? Again, he didn't trust anyone, but she'd certainly shown she wasn't treacherous. So, it came down to a simple question; how did he feel about her?

The answer to that question was enigmatic to him. But, he certainly didn't hate her, so that was probably a good place to start, considering she would be asking him when she woke up…

Kagome awoke with a groan as the place where her wound had been was now healed. The spot itself had a strange, burning sensation, but she somehow knew that whatever was in her was being eradicated by her body's defenses.

As her eyes slid open, she realized someone was in the room with her. She quickly sat up to find Hiei staring at her from the windowsill.

"Umm… good morning? Where is everyone?"

"You put on quite an interesting show, so they decided to let you rest," he said with a shrug.

"An interesting show?"

"Yes. Your demon instincts woke up when the detective insulted you. It was rather amusing to watch how much humiliation he faced."

Kagome blushed at that.

"Umm… What exactly did… my demon instincts do?"

"You pinned the fool to a wall and then gave him a rather… interesting… lecture on how to treat you."

"Huh?"

"Your demon instincts told him that if he doesn't learn to shut up, they'll kill him," Hiei clarified.

"Oh… How'd that go over?"

"I'm currently the only one in here with you, if that's any clue," he said with a shrug.

"I see… Why is that, exactly?"

"I don't sleep, and you seemed like the kind of person to attract enemies in your sleep."

Kagome's blush darkened and Hiei smirked.

"I didn't, right?"

"Hm?"

"Attract enemies in my sleep, I mean," she clarified.

"No," he sighed. "The semi-finals start in twenty minutes, so it would most likely be a good idea to get moving," he said as he slid down from the windowsill.

"Alright… Hiei?"

"What, onna?"

"Umm… If I were to say I was attracted to you, what would the reaction be?" she asked sheepishly.

"I'm interested," he said shortly, making her eyes widen. "I think we should discuss it after the fight is over and before the finals."

"Alright…"

"Oh, and you should know something, onna. Using a spell to get us off the island and killing yourself fighting Naraku would be less than useless."

"How did you-"

"It's not important," Hiei cut in. "Just something else we should discuss, so get dressed, onna," he said before disappearing. With a fogged mind, Kagome quickly dressed and found her teammates outside in the hallway. She didn't miss the glances from Yusuke, Kurama, _and _Kuwabara as she stepped out in her armor.

"What, no disguise today?" Kuwabara asked suspiciously.

"Once the demons on this island know I have something, then there's no point hiding it. So, the armor, my sword, my claws, my fangs, and about half of my attacks are usable to me without giving anything away right now."

"Interesting. Planning to surprise Naraku?" Kurama asked curiously.

"Yeah. I'm not about to let him know what I can and can't do until I have to," she sighed. "So, where's the new arena?"

"We're going there now. Keiko, hang on tight," Yusuke said before putting his wife on his back much like a certain dog demon had done long ago for Kagome. The memories threatened to bring tears to her eyes, but she absolutely refused to give in to the sadness. The team took off and in five minutes, they were in front of a massive, crowded dome.

As they walked inside, Kagome felt several familiar auras and looked up into the audience.

"Isn't that your boss?" Kagome asked, pointing at the tall man with mousy brown hair next to an ogre.

"Oh, damnit," Yusuke sighed.

"He was rather persistent on coming," a voice said next to them. Out of a small portal appeared the ferrywoman, and Yusuke groaned.

"Why the hell did you come here?"

"Why, to see you fight, of course. It's not every day I get to enjoy seeing everyone at their top games."

"I'm afraid Youko isn't interested in the matches today," Kurama sighed, catching Botan's glance toward him. Suddenly, they both blushed as their eyes locked and they quickly looked away.

"Is there any kind of dangerous secret we'll need to know today, Kagome?" Yusuke suddenly asked the miko.

"Oh, there are several dozen, but none of them will be effective. Just know that most of what Naraku says is a lie, and the things that aren't lies are usually unfortunate situations that he himself creates to bring the result he wants."

"I see… Well, that's a rather unfortunate enemy to be fighting if you trust someone," Kurama sighed.

"Yeah, but don't worry. None of you trust me to begin with, so it's not like any of it will be lost, right?" she said before looking toward the end of a nearby corridor with poorly-hidden rage. "I'll see you guys in a bit."

She ran down the hall and found two dark, golden eyes staring at her.

"So, you look like Inuyasha," she observed. "Are you another puppet, or are you an illusion?"

His eyes widened at that and he stepped forward.

"What are you talking about, wench? It's me."

"Yeah, sure. Whatever you are, I'll bring this up again. I watched Inuyasha die and I watched his soul pass on."

"Yeah, that's true, but I'm reincarnated."

"No way in hell," she bit out. "You don't smell like Inuyasha."

"Well, no shit, wench! I'm not Inuyasha, just his reincarnation."

"Bull! Your youki's completely different. You're a complete demon, and you're not even a dog demon at that. Some things might change through reincarnation, but the only thing you've got in common is that you look exactly like him. Now get out of my face or I'll kill-"

Suddenly, Naraku appeared between the two, and both demons growled at him.

"I'd heard you returned, mutt," he said offhandedly. "Kagome, I don't care if your big protector's back or not, I'll make you suffer for destroying the jewel."

"One, I'm not scared of you. Two, that's not Inuyasha."

She sniffed the air and turned a snarl toward the silver-haired demon.

"And three, he smells like _you_."

"Very good!" the man said in Inuyasha's voice before bowing. "My name is Moriya. I told you she'd notice, Naraku," he added smugly.

"It matters not. Listen well, Kagome. Moriya is a soul collector as well as a clay witch and a shapeshifter. And he happens to have your dog half-breed's soul. So, let's make a deal, shall we?"

"I don't make deals with bastards like you," she growled out before walking backwards.

"Oh, so you don't care that his soul hasn't passed on to the reincarnation cycle?"

Her eyes bled red at that.

"I swear to every holy entity in existence, Naraku, that I'll make your death an eternity of agony," she bit out. "But, luckily, your current threat is bullshit, and we both know it," she said with a smirk. "Midoriko told me that my friends' souls have already passed on. So there isn't anything to your threat. So, I suggest you and your newest bitch leave, or I'll have to prematurely kill you," she said before grabbing the hilt of her sword.

"Damn… I _told _you she wasn't stupid," Moriya said with a smirk.

Kagome began to draw the Tetsusaiga to emphasize her presence and Naraku growled.

"Fine. So, you've grown out of your naivety… very well then, I'll just have to kill you with my own hands."

With that, both of them vanished, and Kagome slid her sword back into its sheath as she headed back.

"What the hell? I thought I sensed that sword of yours," Yusuke growled in frustration as she reappeared next to them in the arena.

"You did. Listen, guys. Naraku's team seems to have some irritating powers, so I'll run them down for you before the finals."

"You don't believe we'll find out by watching their fight after ours?" Kurama asked.

"No. They're going to hide their powers until the end. Luckily, it's hard to hide things from me," she said as the seats filled to the brink of demons standing near the entrance of the arena.

"Five minutes until the semi-finals start," the announcer's voice said over the loudspeaker system in the massive arena.

Kagome quickly walked down to the ring and sighed as several demons tried to grab at her. All of them were inexplicably lit on fire, which made any other perverted demons back off while Kagome sent a covert wink to Hiei, who was glaring at the demons around her.

"So, _you're _the tough little bitch everyone's been going on about?" a small demon said with a laugh. "You're just some human with youki! You're nothing impressive!"

He turned to a massive woman with silver eyes and smirked.

"Can I fight this one!?"

Kagome knelt down at that and smiled, making sure to sure her fangs.

"So, you're part of the opponent team, huh?"

She inspected his youki and had to hold in a laugh at the difference between him and the other four people behind him.

"What are you? The mascot?"

He growled at her and her smile vanished.

"Listen, if you want to live, don't get on my bad side," she growled before standing up.

"You seem to be stronger than you let on," a scaly man observed as his green eyes trailed over her. "I think that I'll just have to see what you're hiding."

"I doubt it," she said with a shrug. "But you can try it out."

"Wait! I want to put the bitch in her place," a large, pale demon groaned.

"Wow… So many demons wanting to kill me at once. It's like the good old days. But I can only beat one of you, unfortunately," she sighed.

"Oh? So I take it nobody's informed you of the rules of the semi-finals, then?" the small man asked.

"No, I haven't really gotten any interrogations. So what are the rules?"

"The teams fight as a whole in this round," the scaly man said.

"So, in other words, we can _all _fight you at once. I doubt you'll live."

"So that's how the fight works? So, what happens if you hit your own teammates on accident?"

"They can hit you back," the man said with a smirk. "You need a good team dynamic for _this _fight."

"Oh goody," she groaned. "Well, it shouldn't be too much of a problem. So, you're all going to come after me at once?"

"Seems like it."

Kagome didn't want to bring up the flaw in their plan; the massive weakness in defense.

"So, would you five mind if I get to the ring already?" she sighed. They parted and she quickly walked to her team.

"What was that about?"

"Our opponents seem to really like the idea of killing me," she sighed. "Did any of you hear about the weird way they set up the fights?"

They all looked at her blankly and she sighed.

"Apparently, both teams fight simultaneously, with everybody in the ring at once. At least, that's what they said," she said with a finger pointed at the demons moving to the opposite side of the ring.

"That seems odd… I'll be right back," Kurama said before disappearing. They watched as he walked over to the announcer, who blushed as he appeared before her. After a minute of conversing, the redhead nodded and returned.

"And?"

"It would seem that it's true. The teams are to fight at the same time…"

"Alright… This might be really easy, then," Kagome sighed. "Listen to what I have in mind, since they weren't too hard to get their strategy from. They pretty much broadcasted that they're all after me. So I'll get their attention and you guys beat them, alright?"

"Seems logical," Kurama said as the announcer began talking into the mic.

"Okay, ladies and gentlemen! The semi-finals of the Dark Tournament are about to begin! For your viewing pleasure, the committee behind this has decided that the teams in the semi-finals will fight together, instead of one at a time. All members of both opposing teams will be fighting at the same time! With that being said, let the match begin! Team Urameshi versus Team Sage!"

The two teams stepped up onto the ring and all of the opponents looked hungrily at Kagome.

The bell rang and Kagome quickly walked to the center of the ring while the five surrounded her.

"So, who wants to try first?" she asked as her nails grew and hardened.

The scaly man smirked and a long, acidic whip of youki grew from his claws. As she swung it at Kagome, she smirked and grabbed it with her bare hand.

"Oh, so dense. You haven't been paying attention. I can do that too," she said as the whip dissolved and she swung her own whip, getting the same result.

"I suppose that was to be expected," he sighed. "So, acid, fire, and spirit energy, as well as that rather large sword of yours… What a hassle."

Kagome jumped high into the air as the short man spit a mass of youki at her. As she landed, a sword emerged from his throat and his life-force was no more.

"So that's one… Two," she sighed as another demon got blasted by Yusuke.

"Your friends seem to have no problem going with your plan, eh?"

"Hey, you guys told me what you were going to do. It's not my fault," she sighed.

"True," he agreed. "But know that I'm a level above these fools. I can sense your power. I don't know how much you're hiding, but I know it's quite a bit, and I intend to bring it all out!"

He launched forward as a large sword of pure acid formed in his hand.

The Tetsusaiga pulsed and Kagome dove away as the air near his blade turned gray and ashy with the decaying acid.

To her side, she watched as Kurama cut the woman's head off. Her body fell limply to the side before being devoured by a large plant. To her other sword, Kuwabara was fighting with a demon that looked like Touya, their blades clashing.

Yusuke and Hiei moved behind the man chasing Kagome, and she smirked.

"So, you know I'm hiding power? Well, I'd love to show you what kind of power I'm hiding, but that just won't happen."

Wind wrapped around the Tetsusaiga and she looked at her teammates. All of them jumped away as she launched forward.

"Wind Scar!"

She hit the blade in his hand as the youki around her blade exploded. The man quickly dove away, receiving considerably less damage than the audience behind him.

"Well, that was impressive! Was that another wind magic attack?"

"Sort of," she said with a shrug. "Not many demons can dodge that."

"Oh, well I'm a demonic sage. I can see into the future," he said with a shrug.

"Then I guess I'll just have to move faster, won't I?"

She vanished from sight and swung her long, slender leg at him from behind while a bronze sheen of power wrapped around her flesh.

As it hit his head, the power exploded outward. Unfortunately, he moved a second faster and he got away with a graze, albeit a painful one.

"You _are _fast."

Kagome quickly analyzed his power and smirked.

"Oh, so that's how it works… Alright then. Guys, get up as high as you can!" she called to her teammates, who instantly lifted high into the air. Kagome sheathed the Tetsusaiga, making sure to cut her hand wide open as she did so.

"Here's a little tribute to some of my old friends."

She swung her hands out in both directions and watched as the youki-infused blood flew.

"Blade Carnival!"

All of the blood began to glow and suddenly, a massive vortex of youki-infused blades of blade engulfed the ring around them. And then, the blades shot inward and Kagome dropped just as everything in the blades' paths were destroyed.

"You can't avoid something if your opponent doesn't know where it'll hit," she said as the blades vanished and she stood up to find the man glaring at her, his body riddled with billions of bloody gashes. "What!?"

"That was very good," he said before coughing up blood. "I'm impressed. Not many people would do that… Especially considering all the youki and blood you'd have to use for that attack…"

Kagome smirked as her hands healed.

"I'm sure it would be a problem for most people. But I can handle it better than you seem to be," she said as he coughed more blood.

"Ah, but you see, you're wrong… Your power is impressive, but I get stronger with the more damage I receive. I also copy powers… So, I can do something like _this_!"

He covered his hands in the blood all over his body and clapped them together. A massive blade of poisonous youki-infused blood shot at her, and she quickly dove away.

The edge of the attack hit her and she slammed into the ground with the force of a small freight train. Purple smoke rose from her side, which was now bleeding quite a bit.

"You know, you probably shouldn't have done that," she said as she shakily rose.

"Oh? Why? You think it was a cheap shot?"

"No. It was my own attack, after all. But you shouldn't have done it because I can do _this_!"

Kagome extended her hand and a massive spray of poison hit him, making his flesh start to melt.

"What!?"

"Your poison's strong, but mine's from a greater demon than you. You won't survive," she said before she violently spasmed and her wound tore open wider, leaving a gushing torrent of blood down her side.

"Are you alright?" Yusuke asked as the team finally landed.

"It would seem she's been infected with rather powerful poison," Kurama observed.

"It's fine. The poison's not the problem. It's the wound that it opened that _is_," she groaned as more blood fell and her vision grayed slightly.

The demon fell to the ground, screaming in agony as his flesh slowly liquefied.

"He's not getting back up," she said to the announcer before staggering toward the edge of the ring. Sure enough, the demon fell to the ground, unconscious before the poison finished his misery off.

"Team… Urameshi is the winner… Does anyone know what just happened, 'cause I'm confused," the cat demon sighed.

Kagome staggered to the tunnel outside and found a white-haired hanyo staring at her with concern.

"Kagome-" she started, but was cut off.

"Hi, Shiori… Listen, can you do me a favor?"

"What?" she asked curiously.

"When the time comes for the match between me and Naraku, I want you to erect the most powerful barrier you can around the ring so that nobody outside of the fight can get hurt."

"I can do that, but that might put you at a big disadvantage, Kagome. I know that you need mobility to fight."

"That was a long time ago… I really don't want anyone to get hurt because of me or him, alright?"

"Alright, Kagome," the hanyo sighed. Her eyes widened as Kagome pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Thank you so much," Kagome whispered. She then left the bewildered, and now blood stained, hanyo as she left the arena.

"You're tougher than you look," a demon said as she reached a large crowd staring at a massive screen outside the arena.

"Thanks… You wouldn't happen to know if there's a waterfall on this island, would you?" she asked him, going out on a limb.

"Actually, there's one about two miles that way," the demon said, pointing toward the woods.

"Thanks," she sighed before staggering past him and walking into the thick underbrush. As soon as there wasn't anyone nearby, she grabbed the hilt of the Tenseiga and found the poll-bearers of death eyeing her curiously.

"I'm not about to let you little beasts get me," she bit out, surprising them. "I couldn't save my friends or family from you, but you're _not _going to take me."

At the edge to her voice, the creatures vanished, and she smirked. Having a death-defying sword had lots of advantages. Too bad she hadn't known how to use them until _after _everyone she'd loved, save her children, died.

After stumbling and tripping over her own blood-slicked feet for ten minutes, she finally reached a massive, beautiful waterfall. Without stopping, she walked into the water and immediately felt the weight of her armor increase.

She finally found a large, smooth boulder underneath the waterfall and stretched her body out over it, letting the pure water cleanse her wound.

A spike in youki alerted her to Hiei's presence, and she cracked an eyelid to see him glancing down at her.

"Are you alright, onna?"

"I've been better," she sighed. "Hopefully, my youki and the purity of the waterfall will help me heal… It would really suck to come this far only to die before I got to fight Naraku."

"Is it really that serious?" he asked, eyes wide.

"It might be… Miroku's natural ability to purify poison as well as Sesshomaru's control over poison and everybody's natural resistance to death make it easier for me, but not if I lost a lot of blood before purifying myself and releasing the poison in an offensive way."

A hand lightly applied pressure to her forehead and her eyes widened when a cooling sensation flooded her wounds. Suddenly, the pain and fatigue left her, though the process itself was somewhat alien and painful.

"Wha…?"

"I _am _part koorime, onna. I have a certain extent of healing ability."

"Don't sell yourself short," she said, sitting up and inspecting her body. "You barely used any youki and my body is completely pain-free."

"I don't exactly have practice with it, onna, so stop making it sound so impressive."

"Whatever," she sighed. "You know, I'm kind of curious how many demons can smell me right now because of my blood?"

"What do you mean?"

"Nobody here knows my power because of a powerful S-Class kitsune illusion I used on myself. But I can't disguise the scent of my blood, which is why it's a pain that _now_, in the semi-finals, right before my last fight, I shed blood…"

"You didn't shed blood, onna. You exploded with it. And I must say, that attack was rather suicidal."

"It was not," she pouted. "I just kind of… had no other choice without releasing more power than I'd already shown…"

"So that was still at fifty percent of your power?"

"Yeah… You know, I think I know one of the reasons Yusuke seems to hate me," she said suddenly.

"Oh?"

"The way I fight is like that Toguro guy I saw in your memories, isn't it?"

"I believe it's rather different given the circumstances," he sighed.

"I may have more powers with the more power I release while he only got physically stronger, but the principal is the same… It's no wonder the guy doesn't like me. Not that it matters, since I plan on not seeing him again after this tournament…"

"I see… So then, you plan on returning to a normal, shrine-maiden life then?"

"I don't really have a choice," she groaned. "I like fighting, but part of me tells me it's wrong to feel that way… And that small part causes a rather big headache when morals are involved."

"You could always get a job from Koenma," Hiei said with a shrug before leaning back so they were both spread across the boulder.

"A job doing what? I'm not exactly the desk job, paperwork type, you know?"

"Hn. So, shall we talk about before, though I get the feeling I'll regret it?"

"Alright," she sighed. "We've got some time. So, tell me something. You don't find me to be a tad… psychotic?"

"Oh, there's no doubt that you're psychotic, onna," he said with a chuckle. "But none of us are really what you would call 'sane' so you fit in rather well."

"Heh… You've got a point there. So, you don't hate the idea of being with me?"

"No," he said as his eyes slid closed.

"Okay then… So, how did you know what I planned to do?"

"We overheard you talking with that… dog?"

"Dog? What do- Oh! Rumiko. She's a spirit beast I summoned. She's kind of like a tactical advisor when I don't know what I'm going to do… So you overheard, huh?"

"Indeed. We were all quite curious as to what exactly it was."

"Huh… Well, I think I'll still go through with my plan."

"You can try, onna. But I'm fairly certain it won't work."

"Relax," she sighed. "I came up with a better plan. I got Shiori to guarantee me that she'll build her strongest barrier around the ring so it's only Naraku and I. He's strong, but without his minions or schemes, he's not unbeatable. Without the time it would take to set up a trap like last time, he doesn't have a chance."

"I see… I'm rather curious to see what makes you so confident, onna."

"Can you do me a favor? Call me Kagome. It's my name, after all," she sighed.

"Alright, then. I'm curious to see what makes you so confident, Kagome."

"I have power to back up my confidence," she said with a shrug.

"I see…"

Hiei rolled onto his side so he was almost on top of her and smirked at the blush that formed.

"I wonder how confident you are in other areas," he said, his eyes roaming down her body.

"W… Why don't you find out?" she asked as her blush darkened.

He smirked and quickly lifted her up. She only managed to get a small 'eep' out before they were gone from the waterfall and in a small, enclosed cave.

"Where is this?" she asked quietly.

"This is where I went last time I was here so no one bothered me," he said with a shrug.

"I see…"

"Nervous, onna?"

"A little," she sighed. "Not every day I get carried to a cave by a demon, you know?"

He smirked before lowering himself. Their lips met and, just like the last time, it was quickly deepened and turned from chaste to passionate.

Before Kagome knew what was happening, a barrier was around the cave and her armor was on the other side of the cave, behind Hiei. She blushed as his eyes took in her every curve with scrutiny.

"Don't do that," she said breathily. "It's embarrassing."

"Would you rather I be doing something else?" he asked as he gently nipped at her neck and rubbed the stiff edge of a breast.

She groaned as his head lowered to the unoccupied breast and nipped at the tender flesh.

"Feel good, onna?"

She weakly nodded her head as his tongue pulled the bud into his mouth. As soon as the suction started, she gasped and his hand slowly lowered itself to her most sensitive area.

"Oh god," she groaned as his fingers slid inside.

Her muscles contracted around his fingers, and he groaned before placing himself between her legs.

"Last chance," he said as he pressed his tip to the brink of her womanhood.

"Do it," she gasped out before he plunged inside. He was surprised when there wasn't any blood, but it didn't stop him…

A/N:

Okay, so that's chapter 9! I'm thoroughly enjoying writing this story, by the way. Hopefully, you all enjoy reading it even more. That being said, be sure to review! I like hearing what people have to say about my work!

See you next time, for the finale!


	11. Finale

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, YuYu Hakusho (As much as I'd love to) or any of the anime/manga characters.

Finale

The barrier vanished from the cave as Kagome finished adorning her armor once again.

"That was… wow," she said, her face a brilliant red as she watched Hiei dress.

"Agreed," he said before lifting his cloak and quickly wrapping it around himself.

"Think we should go back before they start looking for us?"

"Most likely, though I doubt they'd find me," he sighed. They exited the cave and took off toward the arena.

When they reached their team, Kurama looked speculatively at the two while Yusuke gasped.

"Damn! Your wounds are gone! What the hell'd you do?"

"A little R&R," she said with a shrug. "Waterfalls can do wonders for mikos, even if they're not pure."

"I see… It's a good thing Hiei found you. The semi-finals just ended," Kurama said, though his stoic mask was broken by a knowing smile.

"It's over? Alright, I should probably tell you what we're up against."

She pointed toward the forest and the team, along with Keiko in Yusuke's protective hold, vanished from the arena.

"So, what exactly are we up against?" Kuwabara asked. "Their power was off the charts!"

"I don't know what you sensed, but it wasn't even a fraction of their power," Kagome said, making the psychic gulp.

"They can't be _that _tough!" Yusuke growled.

"Alright, listen up. Do _not _take them lightly. Naraku, and in turn his incarnations, fight dirty. A lot of them have some form of psychic power, and they use it to bring random facts against you. Kanna, the white-haired woman with the mirror, is extremely dangerous. Any form of energy attack thrown at her is reflected back with double the force through her mirror. She can also steal souls and create a large demon made of glass that absorbs its opponents' abilities. And any damage done to it is instead transferred to her so the creature can keep fighting."

"Sounds rather taxing."

"Their alternate, Moriya, is a shapeshifting psychic that makes him or herself into a painful memory. At least, that's what I got from his power, but I didn't get a very good look," she sighed.

"Well then, do we really have to worry if he or she's an alternate?" Kuwabara asked hopefully.

"Alright, don't get angry at me for this. Any hope you guys have of this being a tame, contained fight is bullshit. They're not going to abide by rules set by humans or demons other than Naraku, and he makes his own rules and games. Everything and everybody can and probably _will _be used."

Kuwabara gulped and she sighed.

"There's a tall man with a scythe named Kurasa. He can fly and teleport. The scythe is formed from pure youki, and it has some kind of dangerous ability that I didn't have enough time to read."

"Sounds rather like that man on Toguro's team," Kurama observed to Yusuke.

"Then, there's a short redheaded woman with silver eyes. She's kind of like a mix between Kanna and Moriya. From what I saw, she uses her staff to bring a person's worst nightmare or fear to life. But I don't think it would work on psychics, so anyone here can fight her, I think. But I'm not taking her lightly, either."

"And that huge guy?" Yusuke asked.

"His name's Moyami, and out of the entire team, he's the one I hate the most after Naraku."

"What'd he do?"

"Killed my family in this time period," she growled, though it wasn't directed at them. "He creates blades by mixing his bones, blood and youki together. And he can fly and use barriers. If you want to know anything about Naraku, ask your boss, since he's here," she sighed before the man stumbled into the woods.

"Ah, Kagome, so nice to see you," he said with a shiver.

"Yeah, I'll bet. Tell them whatever. I stopped caring. I need to go do something, though, so could you possibly open a portal to Genkai's for me?"

Botan appeared next to Koenma and a hole opened in the air next to the miko, who quickly disappeared…

Kagome stepped out onto Genkai's grounds. She walked toward the main temple and found all of her children sitting around Genkai, talking quietly.

The second she entered the room, all four shot up and run to her with a chorus of 'momma' coming from their group. Their arms went around her in various places and she smiled sadly.

"You're back early," Genkai observed.

"I need Inuyasha's armor," she sighed.

"So, it's the final fight, then?"

She nodded and Genkai tossed the fire rat robe to her.

"Momma?"

She looked down at Shippo and smiled encouragingly.

"I'll be alright."

His green eyes widened at that and Rin's embrace tightened.

"Please don't go," Souta sobbed.

"I have to. I'm the only one that can beat him… I'll tell you what," she said before kneeling down to face the four of them. "How about, when momma gets back, we'll all go out for ice cream, alright?"

They all knew it was a tough façade, and she sighed.

"I swear that I won't leave you alone. I love you all so much, and there's not a thing in this existence that can make me hurt you guys, alright?"

She pulled them all into a tight hug and gently kissed each of their foreheads before standing.

"I should be back by the end of the week. Be good for Genkai and I'll get you all a treat when I get back," she said with a wink before vanishing.

The children looked at Genkai, who was smirking.

"Don't worry, kids. Your mother doesn't make promises lightly. And I have no doubt that she'll win, so why don't we all just get some rest and wait for her return, huh?"

The four followed the elderly psychic, who was exactly as confident in her pupil as she seemed to be, into the living area of the massive estate, where the koorime could keep them entertained for a while…

"Hmm… She seems rather disturbed."

"She's been like that from the start. Alright, toddler, you heard her. So tell us what the hell's the deal here," Yusuke growled, making the prince take several steps back.

"Alright, alright, as long as she said to…"

Koenma ran through an abbreviated version of the events leading up to Kagome's capture, and was careful to skip that part as he explained up to the final battle in the past, where everyone dear to her died and she apparently killed Naraku. Everyone but Hiei was staring at him in stunned silence.

A look of pure horror filled the humans' faces, while even the demons seemed to be rather pale by the end of the story. Kagome had told Hiei a lot, but not nearly everything.

Unfortunately, that wasn't enough for Kurama, who'd absorbed the information with curiosity.

"So then, Koenma… You said Naraku captured her and she escaped two weeks before the final battle… What exactly happened?"

Koenma shook his head violently.

"No. Uh-uh. Even if she told me I could tell you her past, she'd kill me if I told anyone about that time."

Their eyes widened at that, and Yusuke stepped forward.

"What _exactly _did he do to her?"

"He tortured me," Kagome said, having reappeared that second with a long, red robe. Her appearance had completely changed in the short time she'd vanished. She'd gone from a pale, human-looking woman to a demon that made Koenma shake.

"Ah… I wasn't going to answer, Kagome," the prince said quickly.

"It hardly matters anymore. If I don't tell them, I'm sure Naraku will. And he'll put a rather… angering spin on it."

"What the hell happened then? I mean, what could he have done that was so bad compared to all the _other _things he did?" Yusuke asked.

"First, he trapped me by making me think he'd kill Inuyasha with a tainted shard he'd given to the demon we were fighting. I wasn't a stupid girl after everything, so I fought him, but he beat me, despite training with both Sango _and _Inuyasha… So, I was out cold, and I woke up in a dungeon. He kept me down there for three days. And, every morning I woke up to being smacked around by some lesser demons trying to get where I'd hid the jewel. Noons, I got some pieces of moldy bread to eat, but thankfully, as a miko, I didn't really need much food or water to live off of… But that first night, as well as the next two… he raped me," she said, glaring up at the treetops.

For several long moments, nobody said a thing, and then she felt Hiei next to her. Though he didn't touch her, his presence was somehow calming, and the threat of crying slowly dissipated.

"But, I got him back with interest. That third night, after he was done, I lashed out with all of my miko energy. I'd been building it up for the entire time I was captured, and I hit him while he was distracted. Had he been a demon that didn't regenerate, I would have slit his throat with the claws that formed from my energy. But, he healed and all that was left was an ugly scar. But the sudden attack was enough of a distraction, and I bailed. I escaped and found myself not too far from Kaede's village. Also, while I was in that dungeon, I discovered how Kagura was controlled, and told her that if she got me supplies, I would help her. That was on the second day, though."

There was more silence and Kagome smirked.

"Even now, he's got that scar, too. I think that was my final act as a pure miko."

"Obviously not, since you kept the jewel pure up until this point," Koenma sighed.

"Well, now that the reminiscing is over, I hope you understand that I'm serious about killing him by any means necessary. The others are strong, but are little more than mindless pawns."

"I believe that I'll leave this to you five," Koenma sighed. "And, should you live, Kagome, I like the idea of having you on my team."

At that, a portal opened and both Koenma and Botan disappeared from the forest.

"The finals are going to start in about ten minutes," Kurama observed. "Perhaps we should get there before they do so."

They ran toward the arena again, and reached their side of the ring with more than eight minutes to spare.

"So, we know everything now?" Yusuke asked. When she nodded, he sighed.

"Look, Kagome. I'm really sorry that things like that happened to you, and I feel bad for being an ass, but I hope to god that you won't let it affect anything."

"It's fine," she sighed. "We'll be even if you can keep anyone friendly out of the fight."

A dangerous aura revealed itself and the team turned to Naraku's.

"Hello, Kagome," he said darkly. "I see you're wearing your favorite half-breed's armor. Odd, considering how much good it did him in the end."

"I hope you're looking forward to being purified. Unlike the rest of these demons, I'm not holding back against you."

"Oh, I intend to make you show your true nature in front of your new friends."

"Well then, I say we get started," she said with a smirk.

The demons passed them and took their places on the other side of the ring. After five minutes of glaring at each other, the announcer reached her stand and grabbed the mic with zeal.

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen! It's time for the finals of the Dark Tournament! It's been a long fight for these two teams, with plenty of strange twists and turns. And so, now, Team Urameshi versus Team Kurasa! Fighters, any words before we start?" she asked with a sweeping gesture toward the eleven people, though Moriya was barely visible in the tunnel behind Naraku's team.

"I have something to say," Naraku said with an evil glint to his eye. He caught the mic as the announcer tossed and smiled cruelly at Kagome.

"Demons, I would like to inform you that you'll most likely die before this tournament is over."

There was a long, stunned silence at that. And then, there was a loud chorus of outraged yells.

"Oh, but I'm not the one that will be killing you. You see, this woman that has so easily been killing demons is not, in fact, a demon herself. She is, however, a miko," he said as his plan sank in.

"Son of a bitch," she groaned.

"In fact, she's been killing demons for a rather long time without a second thought."

"You know, I don't think they believe you," Kagome said as she took in the audience's reaction. "I've shown too much youki."

"Well then, right here and now, why don't you show every demon here that you absolutely have no miko qi in you," he challenged, his voice echoing throughout the arena.

Everyone was quiet as they waited, and Kagome smirked.

"I'm not showing you anything until the time comes for me to kill you."

"I see… So, you're saying you can't do it?"

"Don't goad me," she bit out. "Tournament or not, I'll make sure you die today, for good. I should've done a better job last time, but I guarantee you I won't make the same mistake."

"I see…"

Kagome sensed the motion near her and dove away just before a spike of youki hit her. The second it met her skin, an explosion of brilliant blue energy left her. The youki vanished and Kagome's eyes were slowly reverting from a brilliant white to dark brown.

"Well now, I'd say that's good enough proof. So, what do all of you say? Should she be allowed to leave here alive!?"

Kagome snarled as the dome filled with bloodlust-filled yells.

"I believe this should be sufficient revenge for destroying the jewel," he said before tossing the mic back to the announcer.

"Umm… I guess that this could be rather dangerous now… Umm… first fighters, take your places!"

Onto the stage rose Tsukikiba, the woman with red hair. Her eyes locked on Yusuke, who smirked.

"Alright, I'll fight you," he said before rising onto the stage.

"Umm… First match, Tsukikiba versus Yusuke Urameshi… begin," the announcer called before ducking under her table, suddenly afraid of the crowd around her.

In the woman's hand formed a long staff, which became engulfed in youki.

"Yusuke Urameshi, huh? I've been doing a lot of research on you."

"Like I care," he bit out before pointing at her. "Spirit Gun!"

The spirit energy exploded forward and she smirked. Without even moving from her position, she blocked the attack with the flick of her wrist. Her staff flew up and began spinning. When the attack hit it, the energy was absorbed before she caught it again.

"Hope that's not all you've got… Nightmare Crash!" she yelled before hitting the ground. A black, glowing orb formed and was filled with a dark energy. The orb then vanished and before Yusuke stood… himself.

"So, you fear yourself the most? What? Demon blood too strong for you?"

Yusuke looked at his mirror image and smirked.

"Sorry, bitch. I don't think your power works on psychics," he said before shooting his copy point-blank with energy. The orb shattered and the detective charged her.

"I don't know how you got this far, lady, but that's over now! Spirit Wave!"

He hit her stomach and his energy exploded outward. As it did so, her body was completely obliterated.

"Sorry. Much as I hate to kill, there's no doubt that you guys are the most twisted demons I've met, so I can't let you get out of here. You understand," he said before walking off the ring.

"Y… Yusuke Urameshi wins… Umm… next fighters?" the announcer asked hesitantly, hiding from the demons around her.

Up to the stage stepped two people. Moyami and a small woman that had Moriya's energy.

"Umm… what?"

"Well, the tournament officially is a trivial matter, so we decided to shake things up a bit," the woman sighed. "I want to kill the woman."

Kagome looked at the demon next to her and smirked.

"Alright, I can spare some energy killing you two," she said before jumping up.

Razor-blade-like claws extended around her nails and she smirked with long, ebony fangs that gleamed.

"Ooh, doggy wants to play," Moyami mocked.

"I'm not a dog, you bastard. Oh, and, I have to ask. This fight; is it an official declaration of forfeiting the tournament?"

The two looked at her and she shrugged.

"Well, you can hardly be in the tournament without playing by the rules. So it's either both of you fight me or your team stays in the tournament."

A collective laugh came from Naraku's group and his red eyes locked on Kagome.

"I don't care about some human-controlled atrocity of a tournament."

Kagome turned her head to the cowering announcer.

"There you have it. They forfeit the tournament. Team Urameshi wins. So give them the prize and then, any demon that wants to live should run."

The cat demon, along with half the audience, gaped at her.

"Their words."

"Umm… winner of the Dark Tournament by forfeit, Team Urameshi. Get your prize if anybody survives," she called before running away, along with most of the audience. The few strong demons around stayed, enjoying the show apparently.

"Alright, now that they're gone, let's have a real party," Kagome said. "Naraku, you wanted to see what I can do? Fine!"

Suddenly, the entire dome shook under a massive force that formed around Kagome's body. Brilliant, colorful columns of energy wrapped around her body as her hair became blood-red. Her eyes turned coal-black and grew dark, blood-red slits in the middle. Her fangs grew in size and became blade-like at the ends and her entire body seemed to grow with the more power she released.

The ground underneath her exploded under the pressure of her energies as the tattoo on her arm glowed with a brilliant golden flame.

"It's the last chance to leave," she told her teammates without looking back. None of them moved, and she smirked.

"Alright then. I hereby call upon the holiness of the forces of good, long-since dead. Release my power!"

A massive flare of white energy built up around her and suddenly, the dome was being pulled apart and a massive barrier was erected around the fighters.

She grabbed the Tetsusaiga and pulled it out. This time, however, the flare of power as it transformed was a pure black. As it left the sheath, a long, wickedly curved blade formed. The power around her slowly dissipated and Kagome was no longer with them. At least, going by appearance.

Her skin was now ashy-gray and long, jagged black markings covered her cheeks, which had increased in size.

"My my, this is exciting," Naraku said as he took in her new appearance.

A ball of black energy formed in her hand and she smirked.

"Shiniryu."

The ball exploded and a serpent of black energy engulfed Moyami, who began to scream as he was slowly devoured.

"That was for my family," she said as his youki assimilated with the dragon, which grew in size and attacked the woman who'd been next to the skeletal demon. She too, was quickly devoured.

"That was for pissing me off."

The dragon, now triple the size it had been mere seconds ago, returned to its mistress and wrapped around her arm.

She felt a slight pulling sensation and turned a sneer toward Kanna.

"Stupid puppet. It didn't work on me when I was weak, so why would it work now?"

Kanna stopped trying to draw her soul in and a massive demon of glass formed, causing Kagome to frown.

"I'm not interested in you. Inuyasha more than settled things with you."

"I'll take out some aggression," Yusuke said before approaching the demon. To her side, she found Kurama and Kurasa battling throughout the barrier around them. With those two gone, Naraku was the only one left.

"Not so tough without an army of minions, are you?" she asked as she sauntered toward him, Hiei right next to her. "You wanted to see my full power? Here it is. 100%. Surprised?"

He smirked at that.

"Surprised that you're nothing but a mere soul collecting kuromiko? Not really. It had to happen eventually. So, you opened your heart and soul to these people you don't even know, huh? Have they told _you _anything?"

"Whatever their pasts are, I don't need to know nor do I care. See, that's something you never understood. I can look past previous wrongs. But you take it to an extreme that I'm unwilling to forgive."

Her claws became engulfed in diamond shards and she smirked.

"Hiei, I suggest you get back."

At that, he dove away. She swung her hands and a massive spray of diamonds launched forth from her fingertip.

"_That's _new," he observed as he easily dodged them.

"Well, I couldn't quite get the attack to work right with Inuyasha's sword. So, I learned to do it incorrectly, but quite well, fusing youki with my claws. Not quite as effective, but it works."

"HA! That's rather amusing! Even the dog's _sword _rejected you!?"

Kagome lifted the slender blade in her hand with a smirk.

"Oh, no. See, I learned a year ago something really interesting. That's what I'd thought too. But, it turns out, that because Inuyasha gave his sword to me when he passed on, it formed around my youki, constructing new powers. Like this, for example," she said before swinging. As the sword reached Naraku, a massive swarm of miko qi launched forth from a dimensional hole that had been formed.

Naraku's body was hit by several of them and she smirked.

"Nehakuryu Tetsusaiga,"(1) she said before a new wave shot forth, though it was youki this time.

Naraku quickly erected a barrier and the energy split upon contact with it.

"We wouldn't want this to be too short, now would we?"

The Tetsusaiga flared with power and she smirked before swinging downward. A jagged, rippling black cut formed where her sword went.

"I don't care what the length of the fight is, as long as you're dead by the end."

The cut exploded with golden energy and two massive dragons launched forth, one a midnight-black while the other was a brilliant gold. They both attacked Naraku, who was obviously not expecting the kind of fight she'd brought.

Then, he smirked and the entire ground shook before tentacles began to rise.

"You know, Kagome, I've had longer to prepare this than last time. Don't think you'll be making it out alive, this time."

Kagome smirked at that.

"Oh, you know what? Because there are other demons that fight like you, I came up with a very effective anti-trap a while ago."

She sheathed the Tetsusaiga and smirked as her demonic power, which had been slightly held back by the sword, erupted in the form of a mountain of energy around her.

"So, your strategy is to be more demonic? Kagome, you should know by now I don't die that easily from demons," Naraku sneered. His arrogance vanished the second her eyes, which had been tightly closed as she sheathed her blade, opened…

"_Damn_!" Yusuke yelled. "She wasn't kidding about that power," he observed as he dodged another attack. _His _attack, he reminded himself with a growl.

"What's wrong, detective? You seem to be running out of steam rather quickly," the bleeding white-haired girl said with a cruel smile.

"Well, it's kind of a pain in the ass to fight your glass bitch _and _hold off that damn mirror's power. But, I'm not complaining. It's been a while since I've killed a strong demon."

Her smile disappeared at that.

"You assume you'll kill me, detective?"

"I have no doubt," he said before charging at the glass demon before him. As he smashed his fist into its head, again, it healed and a new bleeding wound appeared on the girl's head, _again_.

"You know what? I think I'll just make it so there isn't enough left of it to take the damage!"

Yusuke launched into the air and a massive ball of mixing red and blue energy formed at his pointer finger's end.

"Eat this! Spiritual Demon Gun!"

The energy released and shot at the glass demon with speeds faster than even Youmi could counter. It hit and nothing was left of the creature. He watched as the white-haired girl's body exploded with bloody gashes.

With a gurgled, wet, choking sound, she fell to the ground and slowly turned to bits of broken glass.

There was a scream and Yusuke reared around to find a demon approaching Keiko with incredible speed, and he wasn't close enough…

Kurama dodged a new wave of slashes from the tall, slender demon. So far, it had been a very dangerous battle that was very similar to his bout with the explosive demon on Team Toguro last time(2). As the demon, Kurasa, swung his scythe, explosions would trap Kurama in its path.

As it happened, there was a long, slick trail of blood and thorn petals slowly forming.

"You're rather slow, Kurama? What's the matter? Not in the fighting mood today?"

Kurama, despite his usual calm, growled at that.

"Petals and Thorns!"

He crushed the rose in his hand and the millions of youki-infused rose petals formed a vortex around the two.

"Ha! Don't make me laugh!"

Kurasa swung his scythe down into the ground. As the blade met the ground, a massive explosion of youki went off and the blade-like petals fell to the ground.

"You'll have to try harder than that, Kurama," Kurasa mocked. "Maybe if Youko came out to play, you'd stand a chance."

Kurama growled at that. He was just as skilled as his other half, and he was going to prove it, despite the kitsune complaining in the back of his mind the whole time.

"Thorn Wheel!"

He spun his Rose Whip in a large arc and it lashed against Kurasa's scythe. The more it hit the weapon, the sharper the thorns got and the harder the root became.

Kurasa's eyes widened as Kurama swung with all of his might. This time, when the two met, the blade snapped off of the scythe and the handle turned to dust at the sudden hit of youki it received.

"Oh, that's rather annoying," Kurasa sighed. "Well then, I suppose I should get serious then, huh?"

He reached for the top button of his cloak and quickly tore the cover off. Kurama's eyes widened at the difference in appearance. Whereas the cloak had obviously hid his musculature, he hadn't expected it to hide the sheer volume of mass that it did.

Kurasa, who had been tall and willowy with the cloak, was not terrifyingly lithe without it. Rock-hard muscles rippled under a skin-tight pair of black jeans and a sleeveless shirt. At either of his sides were two long, slender blades. His hands, which had appeared large because of the bulky covering, were now extremely thin and appeared as deadly as the scythe had been.

Long, blood-red claws gleamed at the ends of his fingers, with wicked, talon-like curves at the ends. His hair, which had been mostly hidden, was now revealed to be a long, thick curtain of silver. Without the cloak covering his face, a long row of ebony fangs revealed themselves. And, from the center of his back, sprouted two long, raven-black, bat-like wings.

Dark, pupil-less red eyes focused on Kurama like a laser as he started to slowly let Youko take over.

"I am Kurasa of the Black Fangs, and I will kill you, Youko Kurama," Kurasa said in a suddenly deeper voice than he'd originally spoken with.

"Rose Whip!"

Kurama swung the weapon at him only to watch Kurasa catch it, bare-handed, without receiving as much as a shallow wound.

"That won't work anymore, Kurama."

Kurama threw a large collection of seeds at Kurasa, who jumped away with a smirk.

"You can't really believe it'd be so easy, can you?"

Kurama watched as the seeds landed in the puddle of his blood from the whip. As soon as the seeds landed, youki exploded outward and Kurama smirked.

"I may not be as effective as my predecessor with plants, but I can still manage."

The seeds exploded and Kurasa suddenly found himself engulfed in sharp, jagged vines.

"What!?"

"Petals and Thorns!"

Kurasa began to squirm out of the vines as Kurama's attack came. It hit and a massive amount of blood fell from the vortex. As it vanished, the vines were gone, but so was Kurasa.

The only warning Kurama received next was the sharp, stabbing pain in his chest. He looked down to find a long blade jutting out from where his heart was.

"Ha! That's what you get, stupid fox!"

Kurama grabbed the blade, slick with his blood, and grabbed Kurasa's wrist near the scythe's handle.

"Big mistake… I go down with my enemies."

Kurasa's eyes widened as a massive tree sprouted around them. And then, youki exploded and his body was quickly devoured. Kurama staggered out of his creation just as Keiko screamed bloody murder…

Kagome heard the scream at the same time a strong smell of blood assaulted her senses.

Her dark, rainbow-like eyes shot from one source to the other and she bit her lip.

"Quite a predicament. Will you run to help the human, and let the fox die? Or will you go to the fox and let the human die? Or will you fight me and let both die?" Naraku sneered. Kagome turned to him and snarled, her fangs gleaming in the light given off by her aura.

"But then, if you leave me, who knows whether I'll escape or not?"

At that, Kagome's snarl turned to a sneer.

"You aren't going anywhere, Naraku, ever again."

And then, Kagome seemed to be frozen in time. Except, the demon attacking Keiko suddenly exploded and the fox's wounds healed. She unfroze and smirked.

"What!?"

"I'm faster than you can ever imagine, Naraku. I can literally be in three places at once. With the powers of those whose lives you destroyed, I will end your existence."

"Oh? Well, in that case, you should know something about your little demon friend there," he said, eyeing Hiei, who growled.

"What about me, filth?"

"Did you know, Kagome? The bandit named Onigumo, he had severe burns. And the cause of those burns is your friend there. So, in a way, he's the reason I exist!"

Kagome seemed to have fallen for Naraku's bait for half a second before she snarled.

"And the reason I exist is to undo that mistake. You know, I learned to use this spell specifically to kill demons that can regenerate. And it's holy magic, so you won't be getting away. Now, it's going to be over in a flash, so watch carefully!"

Kagome spread her arms so her body made a cross. Long, white bolts of energy struck the ground around her as her eyes closed in concentration.

"I call upon the elements in this, my spell. Air, heed my call and bring me your might! Fire, heed my call and bring me your strength and bravery! Earth, heed my call and grant me your eternal wisdom! Water, heed my call and bring me your calm. Spirit, heed my call and grant me your holy serenity. With the spirits of the north, east, south, west, and unity, I cast this, the spell of final endings."

Kagome's aura became a brilliant, pure white that rivaled the sun its in intensity. In her hands formed a longbow of pure light while an arrow, glowing dark purple, formed.

Naraku gasped at the power in her hands, which was purer than any being on Earth had ever possessed.

"How!? You're a kuromiko that killed and became a demon! You've gained from the souls of the dead! This power shouldn't be possible!"

Kagome smiled serenely at that.

"You may be centuries old, but you have a lot to learn. This power isn't a holy purity. It's the sign of the purest hatred ever in existence," Kagome said in a low-pitched, throaty voice unlike her own.

"Who are you!?" Naraku barked.

"I'm the Spirit of Vengeance, and this miko has summoned me to do what she cannot. And that is release the emotions of wrath. Now then, say farewell to this world," she said before releasing the arrow. With a massive flash of light, it launched forth and Naraku screamed in pure agony as it pierced his chest, where his heart would be.

The entire island shook as the arrow buried itself deep within the kurohanyo's body. The light surrounding Kagome slowly disappeared and she fell to her knees, shaking.

"What!? What is this!?" Naraku screamed as his body began to slowly explode with light.

"It's a spell that will make sure you don't return this time, Naraku. Even if there's a piece of you somewhere to heal you, this arrow will seal your soul and completely destroy you from existence," Kagome said as she weakly stood up.

Suddenly, the ground shook as Naraku's eyes bled red.

"Miko! I will not die without a fight!"

Despite his body slowly disintegrating, Naraku launched forward, a long spear forming from his youki.

Despite the shield Kagome quickly erected, he still broke through. The tip went straight through her abdomen and she was lifted off the air. As her weight was left solely on the spear, her body slowly slid down as it was lifted more vertically by the second.

"I will drag you to the pits of Hell with me!"

Hiei launched through the air and quickly severed the arm wielding the spear off. As it fell, the spear disappeared and Kagome rolled up to a sitting position quickly.

"Damned annoying hybrid!"

Kagome, along with everyone else, stared in horror as a massive spike shot straight through Hiei's chest and reared around to come out so there was a loop around his spine. Blood slowly seeped out of the large gashes and Naraku sneered.

"I hope you weren't expecting anyone to live through this battle, Kagome."

The tentacle pulled and suddenly, Hiei was in two halves on the ground, glassy eyes staring up at nothing.

Kagome's eyes widened as blood pooled around her demonic lover's body. It had been complicated and a pain in the ass, but Kagome had, once again, thrown away caution and decided it was okay to like someone. And now, he was dead because of her.

She slowly stood and walked toward Naraku, making the only sound in the entire stadium as everyone watched to see what she was going to do.

To everyone's surprise, she grabbed the arrow in Naraku and it exploded.

"Naraku, you may not realize something. Because of you, I lost so many people that I loved. My family, my friends, Inuyasha, and now Hiei. There's a very large difference between last time and this time."

"Oh? And what's that?" he sneered, despite the pain the missing half of his body was causing him. Suddenly, a large blade shot into his chest and he found himself paralyzed.

"I don't give a shit if I go to Hell anymore," she bit out before walking toward Hiei. She gently moved the halves of his body together and sealed the wound as best as she could, along with the spine. Just like last time, it wouldn't save him. But things were different now.

She quickly extracted the Tenseiga from its sheath and the little imps suddenly stopped chaining Hiei's body as they looked up in terror.

"He's not for you," she bit out before swinging. They turned to ash as Hiei's heart slowly started to beat at its demonic pace again, which was still slow, but a big improvement over none at all.

His eyes opened wide as she knelt down.

"What just happened, onna?"

She smirked before gently kissing him. As she pulled away, his eyes were wide as they stared at her.

"It's not important, Hiei… I'll be right back."

She straightened and slowly stalked toward Naraku, who was now coughing blood.

"Sesshomaru gave me a gift of redemption. I only wish I'd known how to use it back when you killed everyone. No, scratch that. I wish I'd known how to do _this_!"

She grabbed the Tetsusaiga from his chest and ripped it upward, making a massive gash across most of his upper-body.

That's when he realized she was still grasping the arrow of light. Unfortunately, Naraku's body was too weak to move as she plummeted it into the gash. It vanished in his blood and an ear-shattering scream of agony left him. Red smoke rose as his blood slowly dissolved.

"Don't worry; it won't kill you too quickly. With that power in your blood, you'll die of agony after an eternity of pain. That's how I want you to die; suffering like you made others suffer."

His eyes widened as he stared at the once-merciful miko.

"Fortunately for you, I'm _not _you. So instead, I'll make your death quick. But it will just condense all of the agony into a few seconds."

She stepped back and her once-again black eyes locked on him.

"Darkness, I summon you as your mistress. Come to my call and answer my light with your darkness."

A black aura began to swirl around her and her armor slowly began to melt at the intensity of the youki underneath.

"Spirits of the Damned, I humbly ask you for your services. Come to me and release your torment."

The youki around Kagome suddenly turned into a vortex of black, shrieking wind around Kagome and Naraku.

"This is for Kagura," she said before a bolt of black energy hit Naraku's chest. Where it hit, a small black circle formed; right over his heart.

"And this is for Miroku," she said before another bold made a circle on the kurohanyo's right hand.

"This is for Sango," she said as the wind picked up in pitch and another bolt hit Naraku's back, covering the spider-shaped scar with the large circle roughly where that arrow had pierced Sango's back.

"What are you doing to me!?"

"This is for Inuyasha and Kikyo, who you made suffer beyond any others with your scheme," she screamed over the wind. Another bolt of energy, bigger and more painful than the others, shot down and hit the center of his forehead.

"And this is for the suffering you've caused me!"

The wind stopped with one final, shattering-glass like eruption of a scream, and a massive bolt struck him in the center of his chest. Over the other circles formed a large spider-web of black energy, and the kurohanyo looked at her in fear.

"Heaven's Torment!" she screamed before smashing her fist into him. As it met his flesh, the pattern covering his body flared with golden light, along with Kagome's entire body. And then, a column of the energy exploded upward into the sky, engulfing both of them.

The island suddenly shook with such violence a fissure ripped itself across the center of the island. And then, it shook again and the island began to sink.

"What are you doing!?" Naraku screamed.

She felt the eyes of her teammates on her and slowly turned. Golden tears fell from her eyes as she took in their looks of horror.

"It was nice meeting you all, but it looks like I have to go now," she sighed.

"Kagome?" Kurama asked, taking in her appearance of surrender.

"The spell to destroy a soul requires the user to die. I enjoyed meeting you all. And sorry we couldn't figure the whole thing out earlier, Hiei," she said as more tears fell.

"What the hell!? What about your kids!?" Yusuke barked.

"I don't know," she admitted. "But at least I can die knowing their future in this world is nearly guaranteed now…"

She turned back to Naraku and smiled sadly.

"You know, it's really sad. If Onigumo hadn't been possessed by greed, none of this would have ever needed to happen… I'll die knowing that I fulfilled my purpose."

"You bitch!" he screamed. Tentacles rose up from the ground, engulfing Kagome. "I'll kill you before this damn spell is over!"

"No you won't," Kagome sighed. "Without your puppets and jewel shards, you're nothing but a weak, desperate, possessed human. This spell is the ultimate form of retribution for everyone that has ever suffered because of the jewel, or by effect, me or you. I'll die and you'll cease to exist. I'll be reincarnated, and hopefully my next life cycle won't be one of despair."

Naraku's eyes suddenly widened as the tentacles turned to ash and his body slowly began to disintegrate.

The column around them began to glow with specks of colorful energy along its way into the Heavens. Silver, gold, black, red, blue, white, pink, and green(3) all ran through the brilliant column of power. The ground slowly began to sink into the water around the island, and the spirit detective's team looked at the miko helplessly. And then, the column exploded with such a powerful force that the water turned to mist from its intensity.

As the smoke from the explosion cleared, Kagome stood in a massive crater, unmoving.

"What the hell!?" Yusuke yelled.

Keiko's eyes flooded over with tears as she covered her mouth with a violently shaking hand.

The five of them ran toward Kagome and found her body frozen in her place by a large, glowing coating of white energy. Slowly, it disappeared and her body fell limply to the ground, lifeless…

A/N:

(1)Translation: Nehakuryu=Twosouldragon, or Two-soul-dragon. Get it?

(2)I cannot for the life of me remember the man's name, but hopefully the description is enough to figure out who I'm talking about.

(3)Here's the rundown of the energies:

silver= miko qi

gold= mixture of all energies

black= hateful energy

red= youki

blue= healing energy

white= purity

pink= purification

green= poisonous energy (Sesshomaru's claws, for example)

Sorry for the way that Naraku's team didn't really get development before being brutally murdered, but from the beginning, I had the idea of using them as ways to show what Kagome's power was like when fully released. I hope that the other fights more than made up for it, though.

I hope I did okay with the spirit in Kagome. I thought of it this way; Kagome hates Naraku, but she's a mostly pure woman and she doesn't like the feeling of wrath. She's not impure, and hate in itself isn't always an impure thing since there _is _such a thing as 'pure hatred.' So, she used a spell to unleash a holy entity that would do it in her place. I love mythology-based stories, and wanted to get some in here somewhere. I thought from the beginning that the final fight would be a good place to do it. Tell me your thoughts and opinions.

I LOVED writing this story. It was very fun for me. And, because it was the finale to the fanfic, I gave you guys a whopping 18 pages! (In Microsoft word)


	12. Epilogue

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, YuYu Hakusho (As much as I'd love to) or any of the anime/manga characters.

Epilogue

A tall, slender woman with raven-black hair entered the large room which had a tall brunette seated.

"Hello," she said sheepishly.

"I see… So you're ready to pass on, then?" Koenma asked.

"I… don't know," the woman admitted. "I really have no clue. I acted kind of without thinking," she admitted with a shrug.

"Yes, well, that woman said you would most likely end up here. So, you're here thinking I can somehow send you back. Is that it?"

"I'm not sure… I mean, I would love to go back, but I think that the suffering was enough for any human being."

"I should say so. But it's your choice, as there are demons stronger than him out there with even more malicious intentions, and other things as powerful and dangerous, if not more so, than the jewel."

"I hate ultimatums," she pouted. Suddenly, a blue-haired woman ran into the office, frantic.

"Koenma! It's horrible! There was a massive spike in energy on the island, and now Lady Kagome's energy is gone!"

"Botan-"

"I couldn't get there fast enough to get her soul! What do I do!?" she asked, cutting him off as she babbled frantically.

"Botan-"

"What if a soul collector got her!?"

"BOTAN!"

The reaper jumped at the sudden outburst.

"Koenma?"

"Look behind you, you blubbering oaf," the teenager grumbled.

The reaper slowly turned to find Kagome eyeing her with amusement clear in her eyes.

"K… Kagome!"

"In the flesh… so to speak," the woman said.

"Why are you here!?"

"Because the magic I used to destroy Naraku, once and for all, required my death…"

"But… You're important to those children! And what about Genkai!?"

"I know," Kagome said sadly. "It was necessary, but I still don't know if passing on is something I can do, since there are probably even more demons like Naraku out there…"

"As I've stated, the choice is yours," Koenma sighed. "Should you decide to go back, though, there's no guarantee you can join with your body again."

"What if we do what we did for Yusuke?" Botan asked cheerfully.

"We can't, Botan. The opportunity to do that will not come around for a few decades…"

Kagome took in their conversation and slowly contemplated her situation. On one hand, she'd finally killed Naraku for good and was due for a long, happy life as a result. On the other hand, she was still a miko _and _a powerful demon. Demons would swarm to cause her more pain and suffering than she'd already suffered, and she honestly didn't think she could handle it again. After a long debate with herself in silence, she came to a decision.

"Botan, can you take me to the island? The island's going to sink, and I want my body."

Botan nodded and a portal opened. The two quickly ran through to find a _very _surprising scene.

Hiei knelt down next to Kagome's corpse, staring into her dull, lifeless eyes with sadness. It figured, though. Whenever anything even remotely good happened to him, the result was the death of that happiness.

"Is she really dead?" Yusuke asked, though his voice was strained.

In the background, the group was aware of the rising water that was slowly flooding the island around them, but at the moment, they didn't care. Suddenly, a strong youki appeared and they all spun to find a white-haired girl.

"Oh god," she groaned.

"Who're you?" Yusuke barked out.

"I'm Shiori," she said before slowly walking toward Kagome. "She asked me to hold a barrier so nobody could get hurt… but I didn't think that… she would… oh god," she repeated, incapable of finishing her line of thought.

"She came into the fight fully prepared to end it using her life," Kurama said slowly. "But perhaps she didn't plan to _stay _in the afterlife…"

"What are you talking about, fox?" Hiei growled, surprising the humans.

"That sword of hers seems to have the power to reverse death," the kitsune sighed before walking over to her body. As soon as he touched the slender blade's handle, a massive spark of power surged to life and he jumped away while smoke rose from the new burn on his hand.

"That sword is the Tenseiga," Shiori sighed. "Kagome told me about it… It was Inuyasha's brother, Sesshomaru's. It has the power to kill the poll-bearers of death and bring someone back to life, but only once…"

"Did she say anything about a barrier?" Kuwabara asked next, sensing the power surrounding the weapons. But not just the weapons. The barrier engulfed Kagome's entire body.

"No, nothing like that," Shiori said quietly. "Even I can't seem to get near the barrier around it."

"It's because the barrier is made of demon magic," Hiei said quietly, eyeing the weapon from Kagome's memory.

"What!? How the hell would you know that, Hiei!?" Yusuke growled.

"Quiet, fool. The barrier around it was created so that nobody but she could touch the damned thing," he growled.

"I see… Something you learned from your little excursion earlier?" Kurama inquired. At that, Hiei bore his fangs as he glared at the kitsune.

"As a matter of fact, yes. I learned quite a bit."

"Whoa! Hiei, did you seriously-"

"Shut up, detective," Hiei bit out. "What I do is my own business."

"That's bullshit! If you'd known anything, why the fuck didn't you stop her!?" he barked.

"I didn't know of her plan, fool. Had I known, I would have informed her that better ways to kill that demon were available to her."

Suddenly, Hiei was picked up by the collar of his shirt, and he stared into the snarling face of a very pissed off spirit detective.

"Don't give me that! You could've stopped her! You could've 'informed' her, before she finished her goddamn spell!"

"I was recovering from unconsciousness, if you'll remember, detective," he bit out.

"You were fucking _dead_! You weren't unconscious! She brought you back to life, you bastard, and you didn't stop her from killing herself!"

Hiei glared at the detective with fury. Just before his sword met the detective's throat, a portal suddenly opened and both men looked at the two women standing there…

"Wow, what'd I miss?" Kagome asked as she saw how close Hiei was to decapitating Yusuke.

The sword dropped to the ground the second Hiei saw her while Yusuke's grip on him vanished.

"What the hell!? You're a spirit now!? Wait, does that mean you're passing on!?" Yusuke asked, thoroughly surprised into rambling.

"I don't know if I'm moving on or not… But this island's going to be at the bottom of the ocean soon, and I would like my body around so I can decide," Kagome said as Botan quickly lifted her body.

"Oh, Shiori, I wanted to thank you for keeping your promise," the miko said to the shaking hanyo, who was staring at her with wide eyes.

"You didn't tell me what you were planning, Kagome! Why would you do that!?"

"Indeed, that _is _a rather interesting question," Kurama added.

"I wasn't planning on dying," she said defensively. "I just… kind of acted without thinking… That spell was an absolute last resort, but I used it because he would _never _die without his soul being obliterated.

"Umm… here's a question," Kuwabara started. "How's Botan holding Kagome's body while she has that barrier around her?"

Kagome looked at him with confusion as she walked over to her body. As she neared, she felt both the Tetsusaiga and Tenseiga pulse violently.

"Oh! The swords are protecting my body from anything demonic, but Botan's not demonic, so she can touch my body… I guess that they really do have minds of their own… Listen, do you mind if we talk in Koenma's office? I really don't like my body being this close to a sinking island when the chance of returning to living in it exists."

A portal formed and everybody present vanished through it.

"Alright, Koenma! What the hell's going on?" Yusuke asked in confusion.

"Well… Kagome has a choice. She can return to her life or she can pass on to Heaven…" Koenma trailed off as everyone present stared at Kagome.

"You get a _choice_!?"

"Well, here's the thing. And I already kind of knew this, because of Midoriko. Strong power like the Shikon no Tama's power never really dies. It just transfers after its vessel is destroyed… And in this case, its power entered me when I destroyed it… Add that with the power of several immensely powerful demons and humans. So, my body, while being technically dead, still has the life of my power in it. So, I can choose to return to life, or I can choose where the power will go before passing on."

"I'm not seeing the problem," Yusuke ground out.

"There are quite a number of things to consider, Yusuke," Kurama stated, understanding the problem.

"Like what!?"

"Right now, Miss Higurashi died willingly to save others. Because of that, her power remained. It's why she can still control it, even while dead. But if she were to return to life and die of old age, then the powers would pass themselves to who or whatever they thought of as best."

"Wait a minute! Her powers _think_!?"

"Well, not in the literal sense, but they _are _a form of life in themselves," Kagome supplied.

"Right. So, right now, she can choose to pass on and give her immense power to who or whatever she sees as the best vessel for its safety and harmony. But, if she were to return to life and die again, the choice would be out of her hands and she would most likely be reincarnated into having the powers all over again, without the control."

"Which is why I have to think about it," Kagome finished. "If I return to life, it's not explicitly the result, but I would most likely be reincarnated with devastating power when I die again of old age without my current control or memories."

"You're several different demons! How long would it take you to die of _old age_!?" Yusuke growled.

"Based on the calculations we did, about three centuries," Koenma stated calmly.

Suddenly, Yusuke growled.

"That's a _long _time! How the hell is this even a concern!? You're really thinking of leaving your kids without a family?"

At that, Kagome's eyes widened as though she'd been punched in the gut.

"No, I'm not! I will _never _hurt them like that! At least, not intentionally," she said with a blush as she saw her body on a nearby couch. "Look, I get that you went through a lot while you were a ghost, Yusuke, but I honestly don't know if I could go back to my life. All of the suffering I've dealt with had driven me to a lot of stupidity. Like killing myself instead of just asking Hiei to use the Dragon to eat the bastard," she growled, surprising them all.

"What?"

"Yeah, I figured that out right _after _I was dead," she growled out. "It was the same stupid, reckless thing as last time. But I don't know if I could honestly go back to the world of the living with all of the suffering I've dealt with."

"The choice is simple, Kagome. Do you want peace or the happiness of your children?" Hiei stated simply, making everyone gape at him. He simply shrugged, though his face was a light shade of red as he stared at nothing.

"When you put it like that, it _is _simple. I love my children more than anything in this… er… you know what I mean," she said, realizing they technically weren't in _this _world in the respect to Earth.

She walked over to her body and gently touched her skin. As she did, a slight electrical sensation rose to her fingertips.

"So how do I do it?" she asked.

"Have you ever seen any ghost movies?" Koenma asked seriously.

"Umm… yeah," she said nervously.

"It's nothing like that. Simply put your forehead to your body's and concentrate on the sense of touch," he sighed.

As she did so, a feeling of cold and warmth mingled on her forehead. She felt the feeling course through her ethereal body and then, the sensation was suddenly gone.

"Kagome?"

The sound was foreign to her ears, and she slowly opened her eyes. They immediately shut at the painfully bright lights that assaulted her.

"Ouch," she groaned.

A warm hand rested on her forehead and she once again tried to open her eyes. She found herself staring into blood-red eyes in a now-darkened room that she somehow knew was otherwise empty. The face around the eyes slowly came into focus and she found herself staring into a familiar face.

"Hi, Hiei," she said with a smile. "I feel funny…"

"Yes, well being dead will do that to you," he said before gently brushing the hair that had fallen over her eyes off of her face.

They stared at each other for several moments before they kissed. Passionately. And it was at that point that Kagome realized she was on a bed in an unfamiliar place, and quickly got up, despite Hiei's disapproving growl.

"Sorry. I need to get back to my kids and take them out for ice cream… Though, if you want to, you can come to the shrine tonight," she finished hesitantly.

"Yes, I think I will do that," Hiei said with a smirk before they were gone. Their movement stopped at Genkai's temple, and Kagome was immediately tackled by four happily yelling children.

"Momma!"

She hugged them all and smiled sweetly at them.

"I'm back. So, were you good for Genkai?" she asked. They all nodded vigorously and she couldn't help but laugh.

"Alright then. I'll take you out for ice cream now," she said before bowing respectfully to Genkai, who was watching the scene with amusement, and watched as Hiei vanished.

"You know, I didn't know what to say when I was dying, but there's something I want to tell you, Hiei," Kagome sighed as his warm arms gently molded to her.

"Hm?"

"I… I think I may be in love with you," she said with a blush. His arms gently enclosed around her further and he kissed her forehead.

"Good things don't happen to me," Hiei admitted. "But, you seem to be different. Taking a chance on you seems to be something I can do, as long as you don't kill yourself again, Kagome," he said before she slowly slid to sleep in his arms.

Just before she fell asleep, her mental barriers fell and her happiness at the moment, as well as her hope that it would continue for her long, _long _life reached Hiei, bringing a smile to his lips.

A/N:

And that's the end of Darkness. I LOVED writing this story. I got to incorporate a LOT of ideas that I'd head in my head for a while, and that's always a good thing. The people reviewing my story had a lot of good things to say, which makes me very happy. But, if you didn't like something, please tell me. As much as I love writing, I also love the critiques that come with it, as they are what make me a better writer more often than not.

I really liked this story, and am considering creating a sequel with Kagome being a spirit detective. On the other hand, I also think I finished things up pretty well. Alas, it's hard for me to decide. But I want to know what you, the readers, think. I'd love some input!


End file.
